British Gas has released its first Net Zero Index which indicated over half of respondents (54%) doubt the UK will be able to reach net zero by 2050 instead believing 2075 is a more likely target.
There is, however, limited knowledge on what net zero means. Using a “large sample pool”, 71% of the public agreed that net zero was the right thing to do when it had been explained fully what it means.
The Index additionally highlighted that 19% believe the UK will never fully achieve net zero emissions.
One of the primary issues plaguing renewable energy generation, which is crucial for spearheading the green revolution, is grid connections. In September, Current± reported that connection applications quadrupled in the past four years as the renewable energy sector has grown and the need for energy storage has increased ahead of Britain’s impending net zero targets.
To help tackle this, it was announced that stalled renewable projects would be able to be removed from the transmission entry capacity (TEC) register at reduced cost from 1 October to 30 November. The decision was intended to allow new projects to be fast-tracked onto the transmission network and connected more quickly.
The Net Zero Index also revealed concerns surrounding the ongoing energy crisis. More than half of respondents (51%) said higher energy prices made them more likely to look at “installing energy efficiency products” in the next 12 months.
“We hope that this index will help to measure changing attitudes over time and understand how people are feeling about choices in the lead up to the net zero target, particularly in light of these difficult economic times,” said Andrew Middleton, managing director of British Gas Net Zero.
“Supporting our customers in lowering their emissions at home is at the forefront of our plans. We are committed to working with governments, regulators and legislators to ensure we have the right policies and frameworks in place to achieve net zero by 2050.”
When asked what the government should prioritise to deal with the cost of energy bills, the top responses were to build more low-carbon energy sources such as wind and solar farms (52%) and to make people’s homes more sustainable by installing more insulation (46%).
Installing insulation in order to maximise energy efficiency within the UK’s homes has become a hot topic. Energy UK recently urged the UK Government to accelerate efforts to increase energy efficiency of homes in the next Budget.
With the high, volatile prices being witnessed within the energy market there is an increasing need to improve energy efficiency in homes due to 80% of gas being used to heat UK homes.
Energy UK indicated that there is a huge opportunity for people to lower their energy bills in the long-term through installing energy efficiency measures such as loft and cavity wall insulation.
In the Index, almost half (48%) of homeowners said they were willing to install improved insulation in the next two years and 42% said they’d be willing to install solar panels.
