New research suggests that more than half of people living in Scotland are spending their time at home in the cold and dark for fear of rising household bills during the ongoing cost of living crisis.
The Tackling the Cost of Living Crisis 2023 Report by Barratt Developments Scotland, which includes Barratt Homes and David Wilson Homes in Scotland, found that 51 per cent of people across the country are having to keep lights and heating switched off, despite the recent sharp drop in temperatures, in a bid to save money.
The Treasury announced on Wednesday morning that the UK Government’s £2,500 Energy Price Guarantee will not rise to £3,000 as planned next month and will instead be extended until June. However, gas and electricity bills have soared over recent months and the £400 Energy Bills Support Scheme is set to end at the end of March, putting further pressure on households.
The report found that rising costs and increasing mortgage rates are worrying all age categories across the nation. But the energy crisis is the most common concern with 55 per cent of respondents worried about the impact on household bills.
Almost two thirds (64%) of Generation Z who work from home are doing so in the cold, with the lights off, while those aged 65 and over are the most concerned about the energy crisis, highlighting the cross-generational impact the crisis is causing.
These worries are changing home buying behaviours, as more than half (55%) of respondents said they are now more likely to consider buying a new build property to help save money on energy bills.
A report by the Home Buyers’ Federation (HBF) showed that consumers living in a new build house could save on average £3,100 a year on their energy bills, compared to a similar Victorian home. Around 84 per cent of new builds have an energy efficiency rating of A or B, compared to just four per cent of existing housing in the UK.
The top thing people in Scotland are likely to compromise on when considering a new home is office space (42%), highlighting a wider reversal in lockdown buying trends as more people head back to the office.
Meanwhile, 36 per cent would be willing to stray away from their preferred location if it meant finding a more affordable home.
While consumers craved additional indoor and outdoor space during Covid, extra space is now seen as a luxury, with 35 per cent of people saying that they would be willing to cut down on their preferred number of bedrooms to get on to the property ladder. Over a third said they would sacrifice having a garden.
Commenting on the findings, Steve Mariner, Group Sales & Marketing Director at Barratt Developments, said: “The cost of living crisis is continuing to affect people across the country. It’s worrying to hear of people living in the cold and dark to save money on bills.
“The survey confirms that the need for affordable, energy-efficient housing is at a high, with more people likely to consider buying a new build property to help save money on bills.”
The survey of people living in Scotland forms part of a wider report from the homebuilder which looked at how life at home is changing in the face of the crisis.
Additional research on 2,000 Brits found that there has been a spike in consumers going back to the things that their grandparents did to save money on utility bills. This includes bringing back thermals and draught excluders.
Some 58 per cent of respondents said they are wearing thermal tops and bottoms to avoid putting on the heating. A quarter have gone back to using electric blankets in bed.
Others are turning-off radiators in under-used rooms (57%), buying draught excluders (40%) for the bottom of doors and also, putting up heavy curtains over doors and windows (41%).
The University of Salford - which operates Energy House, the world’s largest climate-controlled chamber, and researches both innovative energy efficiency technology and age-old methods of draught exclusion - found that by hanging lined curtains in front of a door reduced the amount of heat lost by 16 per fcent. Drawing the curtains and blinds on a typical end terrace house could save approximately two per cent on heating bills.
To help ease the financial burden of purchasing a new home, Barratt Developments recently announced a mortgage contribution scheme, offering homebuyers up to £30,000 towards mortgage repayments.
As a result of advanced systems and technologies, Barratt homes are up to 63 per ecnt more energy-efficient, which could save homeowners up to £3,100 each year on bills, based on HBF ‘Watt a Save’ report published in February this year.
The full report can be read online here.
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