Domestic Energy Efficiency in North West England, an Assessment of Trends and Effects of Income

Abstract

The study conducted had numerous aim and objectives, with the main aim being to assess the domestic energy efficiency situation in North West England. Britain’s energy industry is in a transitional stage, as acts and bills are sluggishly being passed through parliament, and dependence on fossil fuel being reduced with nuclear power becoming a low carbon alternative. An 80% reduction in UK carbon by 2050, is the target set in the Climate Change Act 2008, and 27% of Britain’s carbon emissions come from homes. Government run schemes, such as the Warm Front Scheme, allow citizens to improve their home’s energy efficiency for a small fee or possibly at zero cost. The only way of gathering data used in the dissertation was by interviewing random strangers, and filling in a questionnaire. 300 responses were recorded, 150 from 6 towns (25 each) and 150 from cities (50 each). The questionnaire consisted of personal questions such as ‘What bracket does your annual household income fall under?’, until eventually moving on to questions about energy efficiency, ‘Have you taken any measures to make your home more energy efficient?’. Each question was in place to achieve one of the aims of dissertation. The data answered many questions, identifying numerous patterns and trends throughout the North West. The data revealed that the most popular measure taken to improve energy efficiency was installing loft insulation, possibly due to it being cost effective and available for a low cost through the Warm Front Scheme. The data also shows that as you move away from the city centre, mean expenditure on energy efficient measures increases. These are just a couple of examples of what the data shows.