Understanding High and Low Electricity usage

Understanding High and Low Electricity usage [ 1.7 mb]

We commissioned researchers Traverse to speak to a range of households to understand
how they use energy in their homes, particularly those who use the least and the most
amount of electricity.

We found that:
- Concerns over cost and waste are driving down electricity usage
- Health and comfort are key drivers of high electricity use
- Low electricity use does not always represent consumer harm
- But low electricity use can have a significant impact on mental and physical health

We spoke to fifty households across England, Wales and Scotland. Fifteen of these
interviews were face to face in participant’s homes (before the Covid-19 lockdown). The
team also carried out phone conversations. This work was deliberately not designed to be quantitative, we wanted to have conversations with households to really understand what drives their energy needs.