A survey from Vattenfall shows that a majority of the public want climate-friendly lifestyles, but that concerns remain about energy infrastructure.
UK households want the government to expand renewable energy generation, according to the Vattenfall Energy Barometer, which has been expanded to include UK residents for the first time.
Half of respondents (54 per cent) said they wanted the government to continue investing in renewable energy sources (similar to five other countries surveyed: Germany, Finland, France, the Netherlands and Sweden), with only 9 per cent of UK respondents saying they didn’t want any governmental support.
Overall the public is optimistic about renewable energy’s role in cutting costs and boosting the reliability of the UK’s energy system; nearly two-thirds (65 per cent) are open to living in a property connected to a heat network and say it would positively influence their decision were they to move house. Another two-thirds (67 per cent) believe the increased use of renewable energy sources will lower energy costs; and almost seven in every ten people believe renewables will improve energy reliability both in terms of consistent supply and reduced risk of power cuts.
So far so good, but concerns about the cost of the energy transition dampen the idealism with a touch of realism. A third of UK households (31 per cent) expressed the most concern, alongside France, about whether or not they could afford costs associated with the energy transition. In comparison to Finland was least concerned.
people expressed concerned about the construction of energy infrastructure such as wind farms, pylons and substations, being built in rural areas (62 per cent were somewhat or very concerned).
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