According to a survey by ComRes on behalf of the National Energy Foundation, British people know less about energy than they think.

A nationally representative survey of 2,058 British adults found that just under a quarter (23%) of British adults were able to identify the policy that scientists say is the fastest and most effective way of meeting our energy needs (using less energy) by reducing energy demand and improving energy efficiency.

Only half (50%) of those surveyed correctly identified which type of light bulb uses the least energy (LED) and 35% incorrectly thought that low voltage halogen lights use the least.

Just 11% of adults said that they know how much energy their workplace uses; while eight out of ten believe that private employers and the Government should provide training and education to teach the public to use energy more efficiently. This compares to the six in ten who believe that technology will solve our energy problems.

Although 58% of British adults say they feel well-informed about energy issues, the same proportion also don’t know that the majority of the UK’s electricity supply comes from fossil fuels.

The survey was commissioned as background to the launch of the National Energy Foundation’s Working together towards an energy-literate UK programme and the full results were made available to an invited audience on 17 September at the Foundation’s President’s Reception, hosted by Dame Mary Archer at her London penthouse.

Kerry Mashford, chief executive of the National Energy Foundation, said: “Improving the use of energy in buildings is the National Energy Foundation’s overarching objective. Over the past few months, we’ve been giving some serious thought to the big energy issues facing the UK, with a view to achieving significant impact in terms of reducing energy consumption, improving energy security and reducing fuel poverty.

“These survey results confirm that action needs to be taken to inform and empower individuals and organisations so we’re using our President’s Reception to launch a programme to improve energy literacy. We’re looking for support and feedback from potential partners to take forward a number of high-impact projects to improve the energy performance of new and existing buildings, and inspire others to do the same.”

For more information visit the National Energy Foundation website at http://www.nef.org.uk