British households want to break free from the cycle of fossil fuel price shocks for good, with new polling showing that the ongoing conflict with Iran has prompted more than a third of adults to increase their interest in new technologies to cut their bills and reduce their exposure to volatile global markets.
Research by Survation for the End Fuel Poverty Coalition finds that 35% of the public have become more interested in home energy technology since the Iran conflict began. Of these people, 45% are now more interested in getting solar panels on their roofs, 36% would like more home insulation, 35% are more interested in the new plug in solar option and 26% are now more interested in getting a heat pump.
But with 60% saying such options are simply too expensive, the public is calling on the Government to act, with 71% wanting grants for insulation and 68% seeking support for solar panels and heat pumps.
With 83% of the public worried about energy bills and 44% saying they would be unable to afford the expected £228 annual increase in energy bills from 1 July, 73% want to see targeted support for households and 67% want to see help for all households with energy bills.
Heating Oil and LPG customers have already seen the cost of energy increase and as price rises loom for even more households from 1 July, a majority of the public (64%) believe that the energy industry is profiteering from the conflict in Iran and a majority say that ending the Windfall Tax now would be the wrong thing to do.
Simon Francis, End Fuel Poverty Coalition coordinator said:
“The public has had enough of history repeating itself. They want to protect themselves from oil and gas price shocks for good, and the Government has both the means and the mandate to help them do it.
“Energy firms made £125bn in profits on their UK operations over the last five years and companies like BP are already expecting bumper profits from the fresh crisis. The Windfall Tax revenue raised by the Treasury should be going further to help households cut their bills for good.
“The Government’s Warm Homes Plan is the right vehicle, but now is the moment to make it even more ambitious and to ensure it comes with a guarantee that every upgraded home will see energy efficiency improve and bills come down.”
Three-quarters of the public (76%) hold Donald Trump responsible for energy bill increases set to hit UK households, while 65% also blame the energy industry directly. The anger runs deep enough that 63% of respondents agree the increases amount to a Trump Tax on their bills.
Robert Palmer, Deputy Director of Uplift, added:
“People know they’re being hit with a Trump Tax, plain and simple. We’re facing higher energy bills, rocketing fuel prices and more expensive mortgages.
“Our dependence on fossil fuels is making all of us poorer. All except for the oil and gas bosses and their shareholders who – once again – are set to cash in at our expense.
“Now Trump is demanding that the UK doubles down on drilling. But we can’t drill our way out of this crisis. More drilling won’t take a penny off our bills, and would have no meaningful impact on the UK’s supply of gas. We’ve burned most of what was in the North Sea already.
“The only way to insulate ourselves from these risks is to press on with renewables, like wind, and upgrade our homes with solar power and heat pumps, so we can free ourselves from oil and gas and ensure we have a liveable planet. And this polling shows the public gets this, even if Donald Trump doesn’t.
“The Government needs to help people who want to upgrade their homes and have more control of their energy bills, as well as billpayers who are going to struggle.
“This is a Trump Tax, plain and simple. It’s likely to be a painful economic hit to the UK with higher energy bills, rocketing food prices and more expensive mortgages.”
ENDS
Survation were commissioned by the End Fuel Poverty Coalition to interview 2,047 people from 2-7 April 2026. Data were weighted to the profile of the UK. Data was weighted by respondent’s sex, age, region, household income, highest qualification, and past vote (GE24, EU16).
Research tables can be downloaded here.