- New report reveals top three priorities for government and businesses to support householders to deliver emission reductions
- 75% of homeowners polled are open to making changes with the right help and support
- Wide-ranging study from environmental charity informed by funding and expertise from well-known household brands
Today, the environmental charity Hubbub launches ‘Home Advantage’, a blueprint for government and businesses to support UK households to live more sustainably. The report draws on the findings of an in-depth study working closely with 175 UK homeowners over three months, supported by polling of 501 UK homeowners1.
The research covered a wide range of everyday habits – from the food we eat, to the stuff we buy and throw away, as well as home energy and heating. Participants in the Home Advantage study were furnished with advice and inspiration to help them make sustainable changes at home and to have their say on what kind of support would help them go further. While the recommendations are made by Hubbub, the Home Advantage study has been supported by a cohort of businesses, B&Q, Barratt Redrow PLC, Starbucks UK, TSB, Unilever UK and Virgin Media O2, who provided funding for the study, as well as lending their subject matter expertise and insights from their sector.
Household action on climate change is an essential part of the combined effort needed from all corners of society to reach net zero, including businesses and government too. According to the Climate Change Committee2, 32% of the emission reductions needed between now and 2035 to meet net zero rely on the choices made by households, and the rest involve them in some way. Reassuringly, Hubbub found that UK households believe everyone has a responsibility to act, including themselves, as 75% polled1 are open to making changes to how they live to help do their bit for climate change and help balance emissions, with the right help and support from business and government.
The report identifies the top three areas of support that UK households need most to be more sustainable:
1. Confidence: Following their involvement in Home Advantage, many participants became more willing to make changes at home such as cutting home energy use and reducing meat and dairy intake by 20%3, thanks to increased awareness, knowledge and seeing other participants act. 75% of 175 participants felt more confident about reducing and preventing food waste at home, whilst over half of participants became more confident in making ‘veggie’ dishes at home. The report points to the need for government and business to improve trust and instill confidence to inspire households to act, using positive narratives and trusted messengers.
2. Clarity: Home Advantage participants indicated their need for clarity to make the right choices. For example, over a third (35%) of households polled1 said knowledge (not knowing where to get started, how to do it myself or how to navigate funding) was the biggest barrier to making home energy upgrades. They noted wanting to know which technology would work best for their home and saw a role for the government to support this transition. There is also an opportunity for more clarity on which actions make the most difference, such as meat and dairy reduction, over turning off lights. In all of these areas, householders need a clear end-to-end journey to support them to act, with simple, accessible language (i.e. removing jargon such as ‘net zero’ or ‘retrofit’) and smaller incremental actions so it is more easily understood and less overwhelming.
3. Cost: 65% of UK households polled1 identify cost as the biggest barrier stopping them making home energy upgrades, making their home more energy efficient or using cleaner heat and power. Cost perception and affordability are big barriers for households taking sustainable actions, including the ‘squeezed middle’. Cost was also found to be a motivator for sustainable behaviour, including saving energy or buying second-hand. Households need funding support, evidence of value for money and clear return on investments to help them act.
The insights from Home Advantage have helped create 12 recommendations for business and/or government. These include:
- Helping drive demand and public confidence: to launch unprecedented communication and behavioural campaigns, develop an impartial advice platform on sustainable living and for businesses to raise awareness and inspire action among customers.
- Clean heat and home energy upgrades: to build consumer willingness and confidence, to review the end-to-end experience for homeowners and tackle trust and skills gaps in the supply chain.
- Food waste and sustainable diets: to enable households to buy more loose fruit and veg, and reframe meat reduction more positively while offering greater veggie options.
- Things we buy and throw away: to introduce legislation to help create a circular fashion economy and legislation to tackle e-waste by enabling more repair and reuse, plus support the local sharing economy.
Gavin Ellis, Director and Co-Founder at Hubbub said: “We’ve listened carefully to homeowners across the country, and we are encouraged by the overwhelming appetite to act. Householders have told us they want to understand where to start, what will make the biggest difference, how much it will cost, what the wider benefits will be and how others will also play their part. We believe this challenge requires a radical rethink of how these issues are presented to the public to stimulate a step change in demand for sustainable choices, in a way that builds confidence, improves clarity and provides financial incentives and reassurance.
“Applying the overarching principles from this report alone could help the UK to make huge strides towards the third of emissions reduction required by 2035 that relies on the decisions of households.”
Kerry Lloyd, a part-time personal trainer from Ormskirk, who took part in Home Advantage, said: “My journey to being more efficient in my home and trying to navigate what is best practice for things like food and energy has been a big learning curve. I’ve stopped throwing out food that’s past the best before date and I use my app to manage energy costs. Being part of the Home Advantage group really educated me on many things that I would normally not have given a second thought. I now feel proud that I can do a lot more. And I will try to educate my daughter and hopefully she will do the same to her friends, so we can all do our own part to make a big difference.”
For access to the full report, please visit: https://bit.ly/hubbubhomeadvantage