Almost 90 per cent of homeowners regard energy efficiency and savings as the most important factor when carrying out home improvements, new research has found.
Schneider Electric says its survey of 2,000 consumers highlights a shifting attitude towards home energy efficiency improvements in the wake of the pandemic.
Topping the list of priorities with 89 per cent was energy efficiency and usage, followed by comfort (87 per cent) and design (75 per cent). More than two thirds (65 per cent) said investing in sustainability, such as installing solar panels, was a top priority for them.
Conversely, investing in increasing the size of a home or new entertainment systems were regarded as less important (49 per cent and 41 per cent respectively), which the company says shows that while budgets are tight, large scale home improvements are no longer a priority.
More than half (55 per cent) said it is now important to them for their home to reach net-zero emissions in their lifetime.
Support for reaching net zero was high among those aged 35-54, with 60 per cent saying it is important to them personally to reach net-zero emissions in their home.
While the majority believed net zero was an important target, only 29 per cent agreed it was likely to happen within their lifetime, falling as low as 13 per cent of those aged 55 and over.
Nico van de Merwe, VP of home and distribution at Schneider Electric, said: “There is now an evident increase in the number of people wanting to make energy efficient and eco-friendly improvements to their homes, with comfort, size and design no longer topping the list.
“There are a multitude of features, ranging from installing smart energy monitors, electric charging stations, smart solar panels or smart thermostats, which can be easily implemented to make this happen.
“Individuals must continue to adopt new sustainable features to make their home energy efficient and tackle climate change, with specific help from government initiatives such as the Green Homes grant to help along the way.”