New nationwide research1 from E.ON has revealed that Edinburgh is a city of tech hoarders, with over a fifth (22%) of residents hanging onto tech that’s 20 years old, or older and local homes playing host to gadgets that are on average 14 years old.
A third (33%) of those questioned across the city said they’re hanging on to old technology because they feel comfortable using it, whilst more than a third (34%) don’t see the need to upgrade. Interestingly, across Britain men are more likely (18%) than women (10%) to hold on to old tech for sentimental reasons, with more than one in ten (11%) men still owning a classic typewriter.
Familiarity seems to play a large part in why Edinburgh residents have this love for older tech. Nearly two thirds (60%) prefer to use technology they’re familiar with rather than experiment with new gadgets and gizmos (28%). Over two thirds (36%) say new technology makes them feel nervous, and just over two fifths (42%) are sceptical about using the latest gadgets.
Across the nation, Smart TVs (40%), smart energy meters (24%) and Bluetooth speakers (20%) come top of newer technologies adopted so far. And almost three-quarters (70%) of Brits are already using technology to monitor various aspects of their lives, including their spending (for example through online banking – 44%), data usage (25%), energy use (23%) and fitness activities (22%).
More than a third of those questioned across Britain (38%) said their main reasons for adopting newer technologies were ‘to make my life easier’, ‘to be more energy efficient’ (31%) and ‘to save money’ (28%) – all benefits that come with using a smart energy meter.
One in four people (28%) wrongly believe a smart meter won’t make a difference to their bills despite being able to track their energy use in pounds and pence in near real-time. On average, households with a smart meter save two percent on their energy bills a year2. A third (33%) of people still read their old analogue meters to keep track of their energy use, with a further third (32%) regularly monitoring their monthly estimated bills instead of having a self-reading smart meter fitted which gets rid of both of these nuisances.
Michael Lewis, Chief Executive of E.ON UK said: “Our research has shown that many people are reluctant to embrace new technology but when they do, they soon realise the benefits it can bring in making their lives easier.
“Smart meters can offer people tangible benefits and are significantly transforming our customers’ experiences for the better by enabling people to take control of their household’s energy use and spend. We’d encourage customers to embrace this new technology so they can realise the benefits smart meters can bring to their everyday lives.”
Philippa Forester, Consumer Champion and Broadcaster, said: “Welcoming new technology into your life can have a huge positive impact and it’s something that we should be excited about, not fearful or sceptical about.
“More and more of us are using new technology to track aspects of our everyday lives, from the food we eat, to the exercise we do and even to how much sleep we get each night. So it makes absolute sense to use technology to enable us to track our energy use and to maintain personal control over how much we use and spend on our energy too.”
· For more information about smart meters, customers should visit eonenergy.com/smart where they can find out more and see if they’re able to have one installed.
· Smart meters are one of the ways E.ON is helping people to embrace new technology in their homes. For more information about other E.ON services and solutions visiteonenergy.com/tomorrow
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