There is a phrase I hear often when the subject of energy efficiency comes up – “The cheapest energy is the energy we do not use”. Quite right and it broadens the debate to not only focus on the supply of energy (and how that can be done sustainably) to how we can manage the levels of demand for energy as well. This has been a criticism of recent government strategy – that it has been too focused on energy supply measures.
The government recently announced that it now plans to run an £18m public information campaign that will “offer technical tips and advice for people to cut their energy use, while also keeping warm this winter”. This can only be welcomed as we are all aware of the anxiety people are currently feeling with regards the cost of heating their homes this winter.
The extent of the campaign and its key messaging is still to be clarified but this is obviously moving into the territory of seeking to manage behaviour change, something that is going to be implicit in the delivery of the net zero transition. I have written about this subject previously but for me this will be at the heart of the transition we will undertake over the coming decades as we move towards a lower carbon lifestyle. The transition will impact how people travel, how they heat their homes and also the diets that we will all follow.
I spoke on a panel at this week’s Inside Housing Communications Conference specifically on the issue of behaviour change in light of the climate crisis. There were some fascinating points raised, and I was struck that a lot of this comes down to education and how we use language that will not only be understood by people, but also engages them to change behaviour.
When we ask people to change in anything, we owe them the courtesy of clearly explaining what the process is and why we are asking them to change. I am probably guilty of this as well, but too often we talk around the subject of net zero in a technological or economic perspective. These perspectives are important because they are intrinsic to any successful delivery, but we should not lose sight of ultimately what we are doing here. It is to allow people to live better healthier lives, living in a healthier environment that is not suffering irreparable damage.
How we engage effectively is what all of us in this debate need to understand and grapple with. In my humble opinion we should do this through the lens of how we as individuals react to change. I believe we still have a hearts and minds exercise to undertake to deliver the net zero transition and we need to do this in a way that engages people, listens to them, and includes them in the end solution rather than just forcing it upon them.
People are motivated by a number of different things. At the moment people are focused on the cost of living mostly because of the increase in the cost of energy. So, if we can engage people in the decarbonisation topic by highlighting changes, they can make which can improve the comfort of their homes, create efficiencies and savings, help to futureproof their properties whilst also reducing carbon emissions then that will be a win for all, I think. Perhaps in this instance it is the end destination that is most important not the initial route taken to get there.
Andy Cameron-Smith
Editorial lead, Unlock Net Zero