Energy consumption in UK households: Impact of domestic electrical appliances

The social-psychological aspects of energy use in UK households have been reviewed. A major survey, which focused on identifying environmental attitudes and beliefs, energy-use behaviour, ownership levels for certain appliances and their utilisation patterns, was undertaken among householders resident in the south-east of England. The results indicate that members of the general public are (i) interested in receiving information concerning household energy use and the associated environmental impact, and (ii) willing to modify their behaviour in order to reduce household energy consumption and environmental damage. Therefore, there is an urgent need to provide end-users with accurate energy-consumption and environmental-impact information, persuasively presented, to stimulate energy-rational and environmentally sustainable behaviour. For each major domestic electrical appliance, the survey data permit estimates of the variations in energy consumption per household and of the aggregate annual consumption nationally.