Survey reveals that only a third of customers are informed about energy-saving options

We all need to make our homes more energy efficient if the UK is to reach its target of net zero by 2050. We’ll also save money on our energy bills and reduce our individual carbon footprints by doing so. Energy efficiency is becoming more important to consumers but traders report that the majority of their customers are not informed about how to achieve it.

In August 2024, we surveyed 112 Which? Trusted Traders working in the home energy-efficiency sector to find out how well informed their customers are when seeking out energy-saving measures. It revealed that only 35% of customers are informed about their options when they come to traders, with 29% a little informed and just 6% very informed.

Half of the traders we surveyed were boiler, central heating or gas engineers while the other half was mostly made up of builders, double glazing, insulation and roofing installers, electricians, and solar panel and heat pump installers.

Growing businesses

Around half (49%) of the traders in our survey agreed that their business is growing as a result of consumers looking at alternative ways to heat their home, such as by using a heat pump, or how to save or generate energy. This figure could grow if more people were aware of their options and took on traders to install them as a result.

However, it can be difficult for consumers to find reliable information about energy-saving options. This is something a number of traders in our survey highlighted as a challenge they’ve faced in their business over the previous 12 months.

‘It’s difficult to adequately explain the pros and cons when general education is so difficult for a customer to acquire,’ said Ben Mars from online boiler installation company iHeat based near Bolton.

Sean Cunningham, owner of Bay Plumbing and Heating in Torquay, cited ‘misinformation or unrealistic expectations regarding heat pumps and smart thermostats’ as a challenge in his business.

There is also confusion about the help available to pay for energy-saving measures: ‘With the different grants that have come up it has been difficult to keep up with the changes, but also for customers to understand that it’s not a simple process and there are factors that can affect grants and when 0% VAT is charged. 

‘It’s not straightforward,’ pointed out Laura Saxon from East Anglian Loft Ladders in Hertfordshire, which instals loft insulation as well as loft ladders and other loft items. 

You can find out more about greener heating solutions and the benefits of upskilling to install them and related heating products in our home energy technologies guide for traders. 

Educating consumers

Speaking to traders working in the industry is a key way for consumers to learn about energy-saving measures and how they can benefit from them. The more informed they are the more likely they are to want to install them so it’s worth traders investing time and money to do so. A sizeable proportion of traders in our survey said they do. 

More than half (54%) agreed that they spend a lot of time educating consumers about alternative heating, energy efficiency or generation while around a third (32%) said they spend a lot of money on marketing to educate them.

Some traders explore how their customers could save on energy with them in depth. Rowland Belcher, an electrician at BrightLights Solutions in Surrey, said: ‘I encourage them to primarily understand their current consumption and electricity bills. That is the basis of venturing into an energy audit on individual circuits, and talking about new renewables and the energy they could potentially save.’

Others spend money as well as time reaching out to the public to help inform them, such as renewable energy solutions provider Oxon Energy. ‘We attend shows, do speeches and presentations, have a stand at the National Self Build & Renovation Centre, send newsletters and have a solid sales brochure to help explain all the tech,’ said Anna Cao of the Oxfordshire-based company.

Investing in the right training for staff is also important, which Ben Mars from iHeat understands: ‘We are currently moving to offer renewable technologies such as air source heat pumps, and our staff are trained to inform and educate customers around energy-saving measures when they purchase with us,’ he said.

Positive signs

Despite the challenges for the energy-saving industry in terms of customer knowledge, there were plenty of positive developments over the previous 12 months reported by the traders in our survey. These include:

• more interest in energy efficiency resulting in more enquiries from customers
• cost no longer being the main factor for many considering installing energy-saving measures
• a greater interest in renewable heating systems such as heat pumps
• an increasing willingness to upgrade older heating systems
• better availability of products
• technological improvements.

Many traders have experienced successes working in this area and enjoyed seeing specific examples of how their customers have benefitted from their work.

‘It’s always nice to get messages from previous customers who send me their energy bills from before I started their insulation works and after I completed it, where their energy bills are now lower. Nice to see my customers saving money,’ said Lee West from Red Squirrel Insulation in London.

Electrician Mike Wallace from MJ Wallace in Shropshire, which carries out a range of electrical work including installing solar panels, said: ‘We have a solar client who now pays £10 per month on their electricity bill.’

Another solar panel installer reported similar benefits. ‘Our systems are eliminating bills,’ said Alison Ambler from Solar Gateway in Northumberland. ‘Export payments are accumulating over the summer and building towards winter fuel bills.’  

Read our solar panels guide to find out how much money they could save you on your energy bills and how becoming a solar panel installer could boost your business.

Which? home energy planning service

To help consumers learn more about energy-saving measures and the money they could save on their bills by installing them, we’ve launched a new easy-to-use home energy planning service. By entering their details and priorities, they can build a free personalised plan for their home. It suggests improvements they could make, the approximate cost and the potential energy savings. 

The service also checks for any available grants to help them pay for the improvements, provides information on ways to pay and helps them find trusted installers through a link to Which? Trusted Traders. It helps give consumers the confidence to install measures that will improve the energy efficiency of their home and the certainty that they can find reliable traders. This could lead to more consumers taking on traders to do this work.

You can use the tool as a resource to help educate your customers about their energy-saving options. This means you can spend less time and money doing it yourself and get on with the job you’re paid to do.