The Coronavirus and winter months have brought about a new threat to UK homeowners… energy debt. Many employees who have switched to home working to limit the spread of COVID-19 have seen a drastic rise in their energy bills during the colder months.
U-Switch estimated that daily electricity usage has risen by 25% and gas by 17%. A survey by One Poll found that 73% of adults are worried about current energy usage. A further 4 in ten adults were concerned about the rising energy bill cost during the current lockdown period.
Many homeowners have switched to smart meters to monitor their daily usage in an attempt to drive down increasing costs. A study found that smart meter monitoring can aide a 20% reduction in bills. When questioned, 66% of UK adults had no idea of their daily energy usage.
In March 2020 and the following summer, many people found home-working to be more cost-effective and sustainable due to reduced travel and heating requirements. WSP UK found that this does not apply to homeworking in colder temperatures. Money saved on travel is being spent on increased energy bills. Lower carbon emissions from travel are compensated for in energy production for the National Grid.
Research into leading UK energy providers found that the average fixed tariff for gas and electricity has increased by April 2020 for new customers.
There is some positive within energy inflation, the use of renewable energy within the National Grid has increased by 500% since 2009. 2020 saw the biggest increase with homeowners switching to renewable energy solutions such as Solar PV. Between March and April, the UK had 67 coal-free days. This is the longest on record where no fossil fuels were used to fuel homes and businesses.
Here at UCS Renewables, we have over 10 years’ experience helping our clients to reduce their carbon footprint and introduce renewable energy solutions to their homes and businesses. If you’d like to see how much you could save on your energy bills, get in touch today!
