A campaign has been launched to improve energy literacy after a survey revealed low public understanding of energy issues.
The National Energy Foundation (NEF) polled over 2,000 British adults to find out how much they really know about energy issues.
It found that only 23% knew that using less energy is the fastest and most effective way of meeting energy needs, and just half correctly identified LEDs as the most energy-efficient type of light bulb, with 35% believing that the answer was low-voltage halogen lights.
Three in five adults thought they were well-informed about energy issues, but the same proportion did not know that the majority of the UK’s electricity supply comes from fossil fuels.
Only one in 10 adults said they knew how much energy their workplace uses, the survey found, while eight out of ten believed that private employers and the government should provide training and education to teach the public to use energy more efficiently.
NEF called the results “worrying”. Chief executive Kerry Mashford, said: “These survey results confirm that action needs to be taken to inform and empower individuals and organisations so launching a programme to improve energy literacy.
“We’re looking for support and feedback from potential partners to take forward a number of high-impact projects to improve the energy performance of new and existing buildings, and inspire others to do the same.”