With serious concerns about both the environment and rising energy costs, many are considering the adoption of renewable energy sources, such as solar panels and heat pumps, but want support in doing so.
According to the study, more than two-thirds are not confident the UK will meet its 2050 Net Zero emissions target (69 percent) and a majority feel the government should be doing more to encourage individual action. In fact, 86 percent believe there should be more government incentives for individuals to invest in renewable energy sources for their homes.
At a local level, 33 percent of respondents from across the UK admit they are dissatisfied with current actions taken by their local council to address the energy crisis, highlighting a gap for local authorities to act on. The main actions respondents want to see from councils include enhancing public awareness, increasing access to renewable energy, investing in community renewable energy projects, and providing subsidies or financial incentives.
Rising energy costs are worrying Brits, with an alarming 68 percent admitting increasing energy bills have caused anxiety or stress in their household and more than half are concerned about how much energy is used in their home (56 percent). In fact, many say they have had to reduce household spending and delay necessary home improvements as a direct result of these concerns.
With that in mind, just 16 percent say they trust their energy provider to offer fair pricing and to invest in clean energy and, what’s more, just 16 percent trust Ofgem’s Price Cap to protect consumers from unfair energy prices – despite Ofgem’s plans for all major energy suppliers to offer at least one low Standing Charge tariff to households by January 2026. As such, it’s never been a more crucial time to offer households trusted and accessible options to combat expensive bills and reduce energy usage.
More positively, 70 percent trust that renewable energy is as reliable and effective as traditional energy sources, with solar panels, heat pumps, and solar water heating the top three solutions currently being considered by Brits. Almost half are interested in integrating renewable energy solutions into their homes (42 percent) and one third say it is likely their household will switch to solar energy, specifically in the next five years (32 percent).
Among the energy-conscious consumers surveyed who have already installed solar panels in their homes (63 percent), an impressive 91 percent report that their energy costs have decreased since installation. The main reasons cited by them for solar installations include cost savings (30 percent), environmental concerns (30 percent), futureproofing their home (16 percent), and energy independence (12 percent).
76 percent believe people like themselves can work together to reduce carbon emissions. This is something that iChoosr is trying to achieve by working with local authorities to enable large-scale adoption of renewable energy sources, including solar panels, battery storage, EV chargers and heat pumps, as well as energy switching to renewable electricity tariffs.
iChoosr’s digital platforms simplify decision-making and reduce costs through group-buying schemes, which connect energy-conscious people to qualified and trusted energy suppliers and installers.
“Generally, once they’ve made the switch, renewable energy adoptees never look back – and this survey highlights just some of the benefits” said George Frost, UK Country Manager at iChoosr. “From savings on energy bills to reducing carbon emissions, renewable energy solutions can help UK households alleviate some of the pressures from rising energy bills and help them be more sustainably sound. We know that many in the UK want to take steps to go greener, although they struggle to know where to start. Our goal is to empower individuals to make confident, informed choices, removing barriers to renewable energy options by making them more affordable and accessible.”
Globally, more than 11 million households have joined iChoosr’s schemes so far, including Solar Together – a group-buying solar panel scheme, the Switch Together heat pump scheme - offering access to professional and competitively priced heat pump installations, and Big Community Switch – a collective energy switching scheme to save money on bills.
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