As the UK continues to strive to reach its ‘net zero’ goal laid out for 2050, one of the key elements to overcome has been identified within energy efficiency, and how improving on this may be key to reaching that goal.
In a recent piece, we had taken a look at the changing energy prices during the impact of COVID-19, but there is also a growing trend in homes looking to tackle the energy efficiency question. Currently, homes within the UK contribute around 15% of the country’s GHG emissions through energy usage.
Whilst ‘smart’ may not always translate directly to green or efficient, there are many options available that may help to reach the net zero goal. These could also prove to be a more cost-effective approach compared to more luxury changes, such as changing to an electric vehicle.
One suggestion is to change to smart thermostats and smart lighting, for example. It has been proposed that a smart thermostat may reduce energy usage through heating by up to 37%, translating to over £100 per year. Furthermore, the use of LED lighting has also long been outlined as a valuable transition – proving to be 80% more energy efficient than traditional lighting.
As current lockdown measures begin to ease and draw to an end, the expectation is that energy prices are likely to rise again as outlined in our previous post. Making the change towards some of these smart energy efficient systems may be a cost effective way to offset this change. Changes here have already been successfully introduced on a wider scale in other parts of the world and combined with the lockdown showing homeowners how much can be saved in the longer term – we hope to see a shift. Further resonation is given in our recent survey results:
To reach the 2050 goal laid out, strides need to be taken in as many markets as possible to ensure neutrality and energy requirements are met. Get in touch today to see how Utility Trade Group’s specialist Account Managers can assist.
