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How has the UK’s behaviour towards energy bills changed since the start of 2022?
As of March 2022, we conducted a survey asking the British public about how their energy consumption habits were evolving amid a 54% hike in the energy price cap. This adjustment became effective on April 1, 2022. By mid-April, the average UK household faced an additional £693 per year on their energy bills.
For those interested in the full results of our survey earlier this year, you can find them here. In essence, we discovered that 45% of UK households were considering transitioning to renewable energy sources like solar or wind power if their energy costs surged by 50% following the price cap increase.
Fast forward six months, and the October energy price cap hike turned out to be far worse than expected—rising by 80% instead of the predicted 30%. For an average household, this meant an annual energy bill of £3,549. The government then intervened:
Prime Minister Truss's administration introduced the 'Energy Price Guarantee', capping household energy bills at £2,500 for two years. However, the policy underwent a swift reversal. Although the guarantee remains, it's now only valid until April 2023. This has understandably created confusion among Britons who are uncertain about their energy bill amounts.
We decided to revisit UK residents to determine how much their energy bills have risen since the initial price cap announcement in March 2022. We also sought opinions on the government schemes aimed at controlling energy costs.
A striking 60.3% of British residents reported a 50% increase in their electricity bills, while 16.9% experienced hikes between 50-100%. Shockingly, 4.1% of UK residents saw their electricity bills more than double!
Interestingly, these trends are consistent across different regions of the UK. For instance, 73% of Plymouth residents saw their bills rise by up to 50%, followed by 65% in Liverpool and 58% in Glasgow.
Given all the changes to various schemes and guarantees, we posed a question to the public:
"To what extent do you agree or disagree with the following statements?"
- **I do not have a good understanding of how much bills should cost.**
- Agree: 34.8%
- Disagree: 39%
- **I do not currently know what my utilities are set to increase by.**
- Agree: 40%
- Disagree: 34.9%
- **I avoid checking my utility bills.**
- Agree: 21.4%
- Disagree: 57.1%
- **I find energy bills confusing.**
- Agree: 41%
- Disagree: 32%
- **I would change energy providers if I had a better understanding of how.**
- Agree: 35.6%
- Disagree: 26%
Clearly, a significant portion of UK residents are struggling to grasp the situation with their energy bills. If you're finding it hard to figure out how much your energy bills might increase, or want to learn more about available assistance during these tough times, check out our blog titled 'How Much Are Energy Bills Going Up? Everything You Need To Know.'
Has your bill increased in line with our findings? Installing solar panels at home can help mitigate rising energy costs, along with other benefits. Reach out to us today to take a step toward sustainability with Project Solar.