Only a little more than one in ten homeowners across the UK are using renewable energy to power their homes, new research from Clydesdale and Yorkshire Banks has found.
A small fraction (12 per cent) of the population resorts to eco-friendly electricity sources such as solar panels or ground source heat pumps, the study revealed.
Three-quarters (75 per cent) of those who have changed to a renewable energy source believe it has been a good investment, however the remaining quarter feel that the level of returns do not justify the initial outlays.
Those in the East and Yorkshire are the most focused on investing in green ways of heating their homes, with 17 per cent having taken action in contrast to just 7 per cent in Scotland and the North West and 8 per cent in Wales.
For 11 per cent, renewable energy sources were something they had never thought about whilst 7 per cent were confused about the different options and were unsure which would work best for their own home. A further 7 per cent were concerned about the negative impact they could have on the look of their home.
“Homeowners have different priorities when it comes to their dream home and our research highlighted that one in five UK homeowners is keen to install a more environmentally friendly energy source, however believed that the costs would be prohibitive,” Steve Fletcher, director of retail banking at Clydesdale and Yorkshire Banks, said.
Regional Breakdown of those who have installed renewable energy sources:
| Region | % who have installed renewable energy sources such as solar panels or ground source heat pumps |
| East | 17% |
| Yorkshire | 17% |
| Midlands | 14% |
| London | 14% |
| South East | 12% |
| South West | 9% |
| North East | 9% |
| Wales | 8% |
| Scotland | 7% |
| North West | 7% |
| UK average | 12% |
