Over 90% of Irish consumers are unaware of how much they spend on electricity every day according to the ‘How We Live Now’ survey* undertaken by consumer lifestyle magazine House & Home, in association with Pinergy, the smart, clean electricity provider. This is compounded by the survey statistic that found over 70% of Irish people have noticed a sizeable increase in energy costs since working from home. Now, over a year into both the pandemic and Ireland’s varying degrees of lockdown, people are getting a better understanding of exactly how much their lifestyle and spending habits can change after a year of working from home.
The survey results showed that when the pandemic is over, nearly 60% of people want to continue working from home full-time compared to just 30% wanting to go back to the office full time and 10% somewhere in between.
Irish consumers are also embracing calls to play their part in supporting a sustainable energy future with one in five respondents reporting that they live in an eco-conscious home. 75% of people surveyed revealed that they plan to invest in energy efficient technologies such as solar panels and heat pumps for their home in the future and over 40% of people said they expect to purchase an Electric Vehicle as their next car.
David Slattery, Head of Marketing at Pinergy commented on the ‘How We Live Now’ survey results saying: “It’s no surprise that after a year of living in lockdown, flaws in how consumers manage their energy usage and the lack of insight around daily energy usage is so apparent. Our research highlights that 85% of those surveyed would value seeing their daily energy consumption figures on an app. Luckily, this is something we at Pinergy have been working on for some time now and can support through our latest smart energy technology and mobile Lifestyle App.”
83% of those surveyed said their daily household habits have changed significantly since COVID-19 began, a change that is unlikely to be reversed once we begin to see widespread vaccination and economic recovery.
The survey also found that the room in the home most used for remote working was the kitchen (39%) followed by the home office (30%) and the bedroom (15%) as the second and third most used rooms respectively.
Earlier this year, Pinergy became the first energy supplier in Ireland to launch a set of discounted energy plans for homes with smart meters installed, under its Pinergy Lifestyle brand. The Lifestyle bill pay plans include a “Work from Home” plan, a “Family Time” plan and a “Drive Time” plan for those families looking to charge their electric vehicles (EVs) overnight.