According to a domestic energy survey conducted by Current Cost, U.K.’s most experienced manufacturer of real time displays for monitoring domestic electricity usage, it was found that although households in U.K. were generally concerned about the environment, not many people believed that they can actually make a difference.
In spite of adopting better energy habits and being genuinely concerned about the environment, a lot of skepticism still exists regarding the extent to which individuals actually contribute to protecting and improving the environment.
In a survey conducted to assess the opinion of people regarding the impact they had on reducing the global carbon footprint, at least 75 percent agreed that they could contribute in some way, and 26 percent of the respondents either disagreed or just couldn't make up their minds, which indicated skepticism and confusion.
When asked about their views on global warming, the majority, at least 52 percent claimed that they did make an effort to minimize the effect, while 19 percent merely indicated concern about the effects of global warming. Twenty percent of the respondents believed the claims of global warming were merely hyperboles.
The survey did bring out some positives regarding energy conservation. People in U.K. appeared to be more aware of energy wastage and at least 67 percent indicated that they conserved electricity by switching off unneeded lights, and more than 80 percent indicated that they always waited for a full load before using the dishwasher.
When asked about their worst habits, at least 51 percent stated that they boiled water in excess and 60 percent stated that they left their appliances on standby.
Current Cost, who commissioned the survey, manufactures simple, inexpensive real time displays that highlight the amount of energy being wasted around the home, allowing householders to take immediate steps to cut back on unnecessary usage and cut the cost of their electricity bill.
“It’s great that more people seem to be making an effort to make energy savings,” said Current Cost's MD, Martin Dix, adding that the real aim of the real time displays was merely to identify when and where power was being wasted, as this knowledge could help to cut back on the amount of electricity used.
Founded in 2004, Current Cost continues to lead the market in innovation and was the first manufacturer to supply RTDs to the Top Six energy companies.
Mini Swamy is a contributing editor for TMCnet. To read more of her articles, please visit her columnist page.Edited by
Jaclyn Allard
