13 Oct 2010 12:10:11

Economic factors 'driving energy-saving attitudes'

Economic factors rather than environmental concerns are influencing consumers' attitudes to energy efficiency, new research suggests.

The latest Attitude Tracker from The Energy Saving Trust, released this week, found that two-thirds of people are more inclined to try and save energy now that economic times are tough.

Some 53 percent of those questioned agreed with the statement "I'm more interested in the money I would save from using less energy than in the effect it would have on climate change".

More than three-quarters of people said that energy saving is now "becoming the expected way of thinking".

Matt Hunt, spokesperson for renewable energy advice firm BritishEco.com, said that the firm is currently quite busy with requests from homeowners.

"There is still a desire from people to make their houses environmentally sound, especially if they are rewarded with fixed tariffs and things," he explained.

However, the Attitude Tracker survey found a five percentage point drop in the number of people who claimed to be more interested in energy saving than they were a year ago, from 66 percent in 2009 to 61 percent this year.