A new study by tado has found that UK homes lose heat significantly faster than European neighbours, even when factoring in outside temperature.
The study, conducted between Dec 2019 and Jan 2020 in 80,000 homes, found that a UK home with an indoor temperature of 20°C and an outside temperature of 0°C loses on average 3°C after five hours.
Compared with some Western European neighbours such as Germany, UK homes are losing heat up to three times as fast, resulting in British heating systems having to work harder to maintain the temperature.
The UK has the oldest housing stock in comparison to EU Member States with approximately 38% of its homes dating from before 1946, compared to 24% for Germany and Sweden.
There are also regional differences in government programs to financially support retrofitting improved home insulation and energy efficiency in homes.
tado co-founder & CPO Christian Deilmann said: “The UK is a leader in smart technology adoption but is lagging behind Europe when it comes to energy-efficient homes. The good news is that there are lots of great solutions available and a huge opportunity for energy savings to be made.”
Chris Lovatt, managing director of E.ON UK’s residential business, said: “On an individual level, there are many ways we can ensure our homes are as energy efficient as possible and we offer a range of solutions to help meet people’s differing needs. Simple steps such as ensuring lofts and walls are well insulated, ensuring you have a smart meter installed, an energy efficient boiler, and investing in other smart technologies – such as a tado smart thermostat – can help you cut energy waste and enable you to better manage your home energy use.
“We also provide 3.4 million customers’ homes across Britain with electricity backed by 100% renewable sources as standard, at no extra cost, further demonstrating our commitment to helping build a smarter and more sustainable future.”