UK homes losing heat up to three times faster than European neighbours
London, 20.02.2020 - A new study by intelligent home climate management company tado° has found that UK homes lose heat significantly faster than European neighbours, even when factoring in outside temperature.
The study, conducted between Dec 2019 and Jan 2020 in 80,000 homes, found that a UK home with an indoor temperature of 20°C and an outside temperature of 0°C loses on average 3°C after five hours [1]. Compared with some Western European neighbours such as Germany, UK homes are losing heat up to three times as fast. This in turn results in British heating systems having to work harder to maintain the temperature.
The UK has the oldest housing stock in comparison to EU Member States with approximately 38% of its homes dating from before 1946, compared to 24% for Germany and Sweden [2]. There are also regional differences in government programs to financially support retrofitting improved home insulation and energy efficiency in homes.
“The UK is a leader in smart technology adoption but is lagging behind Europe when it comes to energy-efficient homes”, says tado° Co-founder & CPO Christian Deilmann. “The good news is that there are lots of great solutions available and a huge opportunity for energy savings to be made.”
Home insulation and energy efficiency are key topics not just for homeowners and tenants but also for the government if it is to meet its ambitious CO2 reduction targets. Homes account for approximately 15% of the UK’s greenhouse gas emissions through their use of oil & gas for heating and hot water. These emissions need to be cut significantly by 2030 in order to help meet the UK’s legally binding climate goals, according to the Committee on Climate Change [3].
How to make your home more energy efficient - tips from E.ON
“We know the standard of housing in the UK needs to drastically improve if we’re going to meet our net zero by 2050 climate change target”, says Chris Lovatt, Managing Director of E.ON UK’s Residential business. “On an individual level, there are many ways we can ensure our homes are as energy efficient as possible and we offer a range of solutions to help meet people’s differing needs. Simple steps such as ensuring lofts and walls are well insulated, ensuring you have a smart meter installed, an energy efficient boiler, and investing in other smart technologies – such as a tado° smart thermostat – can help you cut energy waste and enable you to better manage your home energy use. We also provide 3.4 million customers’ homes across Britain with electricity backed by 100% renewable sources as standard [4], at no extra cost, further demonstrating our commitment to helping build a smarter and more sustainable future.”
Less than 2 percent of UK homes have top energy-efficiency ratings [5]. New homes built to a zero carbon homes standard can save over £200 a year on their energy bills [6]. Furthermore, new technology like smart thermostats can make significant additional energy savings by ensuring that homes and rooms are only heated when they are occupied, as well as adapting to the weather and reducing heat when open windows are detected.
About tado°
Founded in Munich, 2011, tado° is the European leader in intelligent home climate management. With its Smart Thermostats for heating and cooling, tado° works as your Climate Assistant with Skills such as Geofencing, Weather Adaptation, Open Window Detection, Air Comfort, and more. Having secured over USD 100m in funding and with 180 employees, tado° reshapes the way energy is consumed at home for more comfort, savings, and wellbeing. www.tado.com
About E.ON
E.ON is leading the energy transition: providing smart, sustainable, personalised solutions. We make sure everything we do is focused on our customers, whether they’re individuals or families, big and small businesses, entire towns and cities. Around 3.8 million customers in the UK choose us to meet their energy needs, making us one of the leading energy providers in the UK. As part of the E.ON Group, we’re also one of the foremost energy companies in the world. For more information visit eonenergy.com
Images
You can download the image in high resolution here. Additional easy-to-download images can be found in the tado° .
Press contact
tado GmbH
Paul Hughes
Sapporobogen 6-8
80637, Munich
+49 89 716 7786 11
[1] Based on internal tado° user study
[2] BRE
[3] Carbon Brief
[4] Electricity sourced from E.ON’s renewable generation assets, supply agreements with independent UK wind generators and the purchase of renewable electricity certificates. The electricity supplied to your homes comes from the National Grid. Find out more at eonenergy.com/renewable