How to inform your customers about their energy-saving options

It goes without saying that energy efficiency in general is becoming more important to consumers as a whole, but traders still report that the majority of their customers are not informed about how to achieve this.

That’s why, in August 2024, we surveyed 112 Which? Trusted Traders working in the home energy-efficiency sector to find out how well well-informed their customers were when seeking out energy-saving measures, and what it revealed was shocking.

Find out what they discovered, below.

How many homeowners feel informed about energy-saving measures?

According to our study, just 35% of customers felt adequately informed about their energy-saving options, with only 29% saying they felt somewhat informed, a little informed and just 6% being very informed.

Considering that 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, this suggests that we need to do more to inform customers about how they can save more money on their energy bills..

Are energy-saving measures growing businesses?

According to our survey, around half (49%) of the traders agreed that their business was growing as a result of consumers looking at alternative ways to heat their homes, such as by installing a heat pump, or how to save or generate energy.

However, it was also noted that it’s often difficult for consumers to find reliable information about energy-saving options online. 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.

Meanwhile, 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’s also confusion about the help available when it comes to paying 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

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.

Can we be doing more to educate consumers?

Speaking to traders working in the industry is often a keyway for consumers to learn about energy-saving measures and how they can benefit from them. After all, the more informed they are the more likely they are to want to install energy-saving products and heating systems, making it worth traders investing time and money to do so.

Fortunately, a sizeable proportion of traders in our survey said they do exactly this, with more than half (54%) stating that they spend a lot of time educating consumers about alternative heating, energy efficiency, or generation, while around a third (32%) said they spentd a lot of money on marketing to educate them.

Some traders even 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.

However, despite this push to educate customers looking to invest in greener heating solutions, such as installing heat pumps and adding solar panels to homes, it’s clear that traders can only do so much to combat the general lack of awareness around these products.

Are there any signs this is changing?

In spite of the challenges for the energy-saving industry in terms of customer knowledge, there have been plenty of positive developments over the previous 12 months reported by the traders in our survey, including:

• More interest in energy efficiency resulting in more enquiries from customers.
• Costs 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.

On top of this, many traders have experienced increasing success 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.’’

Learn more about home energy planning with Which?

So, while customer knowledge around energy-saving means is still somewhat lacking, it does appear that this knowledge gap is shrinking, and it’s something we aim to speed up with our new, easy-to-use home energy planning service.

By entering your details and priorities into our system, you can build a free personalised plan for your home, with suggested improvements you can make and the approximate cost and the potential energy savings of doing so.

Our service even checks for any available grants you can make use of when upgrading your home, helping you to pay for these improvements and providing information on ways to find trusted installers through Which? Trusted Traders.

Best of all, you can use this 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.

Becoming a Which? Trusted Trader

One of the best ways to show your customer that you run a reputable business is to become a Which? Trusted Trader.

Our data suggests that at least 77% of people who have used or are planning to use a tradesperson in the future would be more likely to choose a trader with a Trusted Trader logo than one without*. And that’s because we make sure that all the traders we endorse are qualified for the job at hand.

Get in touch with our team today to learn more about becoming a Trusted Trader with Which? and take a look at our advice blog for more helpful insights into energy-saving measures.

* Source: Savanta online survey of 2,000 UK adults, nat rep, Apr 2024