It’s been an age-old debate in UK homes for decades, but the ‘big light’ continues to divide the nation when it comes to ‘off’ or ‘on’.
Almost 50% of Brits say they ‘hate’ the big light (46%) – turning it off an average of four times a day after others in the house have left it on.
The new research, by clean energy company egg, looked into the nation’s attitudes towards sustainable living at home and found almost a quarter of people (24%) worry that using the ‘big light’ adds unnecessary money to the electricity bill.
Awareness of greener living and the impact it can have on the planet and their pocket is on the radar of most British households. 63% of households admitted their house is not as sustainable as it could be with only 30% feeling they’ve done enough.
Some of the most popular things being done to increase sustainable living and energy efficiency at home includes:
- Taking showers over baths (61%)
- Washing clothes at 30 degrees or lower (54%)
- Layering up with jumpers before using heating as a last resort (52%)
- Refusing to use the tumble drier and using a washing line instead (49%)
- Turning all switches off at the wall at bedtime (45%)
- Using the air fryer over an oven (43%)
- Doing dishes by hand and not in a dishwasher (42%)
- Installing a smart meter (39%)
For those who want to do more to create a more sustainable and energy efficient house, cost continues to be the main barrier. 60% of Brits said they’d like to use solar panels but fears over cost (61%) was holding them back. Overwhelm and information overload was also a huge factor in not taking the leap into solar energy, with 44% admitting that they’d look for a house where it is already installed rather than having to do it themselves.
In response to the UK demand for solar, egg is offering 0% APR finance, enabling households to tailor a plan that works for them, paying it back over 12 – 36 months.
The initiative by egg is just one of the ways they are making cleaner energy accessible to more people. Their no nonsense approach to cleaner energy includes cutting out the jargon for homeowners, an easy online application process and access to real people who are with you from enquiry to long after installation.
Visit crackingenergy.com/thebiglightdebate to find out more about installing solar in 2024.
Featured Photo by Daniele La Rosa Messina on Unsplash.