Press release

Nine in ten people worried about the future of fuel

23 September 2011

A large majority of people are concerned about the emerging gap between the demand and supply of power.

New research suggests that almost 90% of people are concerned about future shortages of power due to an imbalance between demand and supply. The new figures come from a poll recently conducted by the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET).

Paul Davies, Head of Policy at the IET, said, “The UK faces the twin problems of energy security and carbon reduction.  The engineering solutions to these problems, such as the introduction of smart meters and electric vehicles, are bound to have a significant impact on the way people use and pay for energy.  The IET conducted this survey to gauge the public’s reaction to the changes being planned and introduced.   The results showed that many people are aware of the issues and what it might mean to them. ”

86% of those questioned said that they would be prepared to adapt their energy usage behaviour in order to take advantage of variable tariffs such as time-of-day-prices. Perhaps surprisingly over half said that they were willing to pay more in the future to ensure a modernised energy supply.

The strongest response, 98% said it was important that some of their energy should come from renewable sources. A further 90% of respondents said they strongly agreed, or agreed, that they would in future be interested in home-based electricity generation.

Notes to editors: