A survey on heating and energy efficiency by LG Air Conditioning shows people would rather turn up the thermostat than find 'greener' ways to keep warm.

People still put their own comfort above environmental concerns when heating their homes, according to a recent survey carried out on behalf of the air conditioning division of LG Electronics. While 65% of those polled were concerned about the rising costs of energy bills, only 13% were troubled by the environmental impact. A significant 22% were anxious about neither – only that they stayed comfortable.

It also showed that although the general public worries about rising fuel bills, 57% are more likely to put the thermostat up when feeling cold than find other ways of keeping warm such as exercising (6%), filling a hot water bottle (26%) or cuddling up to loved ones (35%).

Almost half of respondents (48%) said they were aware of either ground source or air-to water heat pump technology.  Encouragingly, a significant 76% said that they would be interested in a system that both heats and cools the home, suggesting that once the full potential of heat pumps becomes more well-known, increasing take-up will follow.

“Coming at a time when most of us are turning on our central heating again and thinking about how to keep our homes warm this coming winter, the survey results suggest that with rising energy bills, consumers are now becoming more aware of new heating and cooling solutions which are cheaper to run and much more energy efficient,” said Sean Kim, business unit marketing manager of the LG air conditioning division.  

The LG Heating Systems Survey was carried out by OnePoll, an online market research company, questioning a sample of 2,000 consumers.