1 IN 3 NEW YEAR’S RESOLUTIONS FOCUS ON GREENER LIVING CHOICES WHILE CUTTING COSTS

•  Over a third of people with a new year’s resolution say they want to make their lifestyles greener and more sustainable in 2023

• Small, simple changes that both help the environment and reduce the cost of living ranked highest – including turning down the heating, walking more and clothes-shopping less

• Comes as OVO customers saved 8.6 tons of carbon dioxide (CO2) – a total £50,000 saving – in its Power Move Trial which encourages customers to use energy at off-peak times

Thursday 12th January 2023: One in three people with a new year’s resolution pledged to make their habits greener in 2023, according to new data from energy supplier OVO.

The most popular green choices were those which can also ease the cost of living, such as turning down the heating.

This follows the latest data from OVO’s Power Move trial which encourages customers to use energy at off-peak times. By changing the times at which they use most of their energy, trial participants help to ease reliance on non-renewable power sources, resulting in a quantifiable carbon saving. OVO encourages this switch by rewarding participants up to £20 per month.

The trial has already saved 8.6 tons of carbon dioxide (CO2) in November and December – equivalent to driving around the world once – with savings of £50,000 in total.

Research into new year’s resolutions shows the public are ready and willing to make simple changes to their daily lives to both help the planet and reduce bills.

Green new year’s resolutions have shot up: last year, only 26% were centred on the environment. This year, leading a more sustainable lifestyle was Britain’s second-highest priority (37%) followed by career-based goals (35%), with healthier choices ranking highest (55%).

George Penman, Director of Propositions, OVO commented:

“It is increasingly clear that consumers are willing to make changes in order to live more sustainably and cut energy costs. At OVO we are doing everything we can to incentivize these changes and make a real impact to help the country move towards Net Zero. This includes our Power Moves Trial which has saved 8.6 tons of carbon dioxide in two months this winter – a saving of £50,000 for consumers.”

Those under the age of 30 were most likely to choose sustainable goals, with women more likely to than men. Driving less, flying less and turning down the heating featured in the top five sustainable resolutions for 2023.

The most popular green resolutions were:

1.     Driving less, walking more, using more public transport

2.      Flying less

3.      Turning down the heating

4.      Buying less ‘fast fashion’

5.      Eating out less (reduces food waste)

OVO launched its Power Move trial in November to help customers cut energy usage during peak times of 4-7pm and save money. At these times of peak demand, there’s often not enough renewable energy to go round, and so dirtier carbon-heavy power fires up to fill the gap. The trial rewards customers up to £100 in total for moving non-essential energy use to times when the grid is greener and less congested. The trial runs from 1st November 2022 – 31st March 2023 and almost 10,000 customers have signed up to take part. It supports OVO’s Plan Zero mission to decarbonise homes and save consumers money.

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About OVO 

OVO was founded in 2009 and redesigned the energy experience to be fair, effortless, green and simple for all customers. OVO was awarded Company of the Decade at the BusinessGreen Leaders’ Awards and has won multiple awards, including Innovation Project of the Year, for investing in the market leading technology, customer service operations and digital products to help customers cut their carbon emissions. OVO is on a mission through its sustainability strategy Plan Zero to tackle the most important issue of our time; the climate crisis, by bringing our customers with us on the journey towards zero carbon living. OVO Energy has committed to being a net zero carbon business and achieve bold science-based carbon reduction targets, while helping customers reduce their household emissions at the same time.

About polling:

Strand Partners’ specialist research team conducted an online survey of 1,013 nationally representative members of the public (by age, gender and NUT1 region) online between 08.01.22 and 09.01.22. All data was then weighted against the latest ONS census.

Strand Partners’ online polling studies are accredited by the British Polling Council and conducted under their rules of disclosure. All data gathered is of a publishable quality and is produced within Market Research Society guidelines.

For full data tables and more detail of the methodology, please e-mail: [email protected].