Australian households want more support to save energy and money on their electricity bills but don’t know where to turn, according to new research completed by Auspoll for the Clean Energy Council (CEC) in June.
CEC chief executive, Matthew Warren said 95 per cent of those polled said they were very concerned or quite concerned by rising energy costs.
“It doesn’t have to be this way. With the right support, households can be empowered to make big savings on their energy bills – and without comprising their quality of life,” Mr Warren said.
“The results are encouraging – 89 per cent of people surveyed were willing to take actions to use less energy and 73 per cent wanted more information on energy savings. But 57 per cent of the population had little or no awareness of government programs and about half knew little or nothing at all about key aspects of their energy use,” he said.
“The most effective way for governments to protect households from rising electricity costs is to implement effective energy savings programs, but these also need to be accompanied by targeted education campaigns.”
Mr Warren said introducing a carbon price in Australia was a first critical step towards de-carbonising the economy, but needed to be accompanied by national energy efficiency policies to support households and businesses through the transition.
“Almost 90 per cent of those polled said if the Federal Government implements a carbon tax it should make sure the community is supported and able to save on their bills. Australian households will be better off under a carbon price with the right support.
“Importantly, 74 per cent of those polled support retailers being responsible for ensuring households use energy more efficiently. This confirms public support for the establishment of a National Energy Savings Initiative, an initiative which has been backed by a cross section of industry, welfare and environment groups,” Mr Warren said.
