According to a recent survey, people living on the Isle of Wight would prioritise energy saving over a garage and ditch their gardens in favour of Electric Vehicle (EV) chargers.
With the cost-of-living sky rocketing, Isle of Wight residents are re-thinking their priorities to adopt an eco-friendlier and cost-saving approach.
In a survey of 1,000 people carried out in May 2022 by Barratt Homes, respondents were asked what, if anything, they would compromise on if it meant living somewhere with sustainable features.
Almost a 5th of respondents (19%) living on the Isle of Wight said they would forego a garage if it meant having more eco-friendly features within the home. But rather than get rid of their cars, Islanders would prefer to install an EV point – even if it meant compromising on their outdoor space.
When asked what, if anything, they would prioritise over installing an EV point at home, 29% of respondents who lived on the Island would go without a garden in favour of an EV charger. This compares to 24% in Hampshire, including 23% of Portsmouth and 22% of Southampton residents.
Furthermore, 17% of respondents living on the Isle of Wight said they would prioritise having a spare bedroom over an EV charging point, suggesting residents may be more willing to live in a smaller home if it meant they could have access to renewable or cheaper fuel for their cars.
Interestingly, residents in all regions of Hampshire were keen to hang on to their dining rooms, gardens, and driveways instead of opting for sustainable features like solar panels or heat pumps. Just 15% said they would ditch the dining room and 7% the driveway if it meant having sustainable features in their homes.
However, Islanders were more prepared to give up faster broadband than those in neighbouring counties, with 14% saying they’d put up with slower speeds if it meant having living somewhere with more sustainable features compared with 10% in Hampshire and 12% in Dorset.
Tammy Bishop, Sales Director for Barratt Homes’ Southampton division, has said:
“These results are hardly surprising given the tough times we are living in. We are seeing more customers demanding greener, more sustainable features in their homes and as housebuilders, our job is to meet that demand.”
I smell b.s! Give up your garden? A green ecologically sound area, for what? More bunny hutches as you refer to them?
The survey was skewed.
As it was potential Barrett home buyers or enquiries being asked then most know that to sacrifice the ‘garden’ would ONLY mean giving up a patch of clay soil just big enough for a wheelybin a scattering of plastic unplayed with toys and an ash tray with butts immersed in the last downpour
Hence the unsurprising, surprisingly results
Every square meter =££££s profit, and more houses per development. Simples.
Covering green spaces with tarmac or concrete means more flooding. We were encouraged to make more uncovered areas to allow for drainage. This idea isn’t the best
How many people in the survey answered about public transit?
So according to the survey results the majority of people would prefer the complete opposite to what this article suggests?
Exactly Pete. One quarter of a one hundred and fiftieth of the island’s population in favour. Hardly a lot of people.
The situation in Ukraine and the rising cost of fossil fuels (both gas and diesel/petrol) is making green options more and more attractive.
However there is a long way to go before usable EVs are within the price range of most islanders (used EVs that are cheap enough are older models that have batteries with older chemistry, meaning they have their, already small, range reduced).
All family sized EVs are over £25,000 and even little city cars like the Smart EQ or Fiat 500 Electric are in the order of £20k.
There is the little Citroen Ami, I suppose, but with a top speed of 28mph they are too slow.
I’ll take the garden and a bike, and a bus occasionally. If they can add car rental service charged per hour in town centres then even better. But giving away garden for owning a car? That’s not for me.
I’d forgo the second bathroom if I could have a bar.
So they would prefer yo drive round crowded roads than sit in the garden…..
Are EV Chargers the size of an average garden then?
Do you think people of the future might have the option of an EV Charger and a garden or is that a dangerous idea for the proletariat?
My initial thought too but your charging point would be on your outside wall, hence the sacrifice… having said, you’d already have a drive in most cases.
We can’t all afford electric cars
Survey ONLY 1000 people lol
What a crock of nonsense survey.utter tosh
And involving barret!!
That’s what I was thinking considering there’s over 140,000 people on the island, and the electricity bills are higher than ever. I’ll make some moonshine and run my bike on that
‘ would forgo their garages if it meant having more eco-friendly features within the home’
What a ridiculous statement. (Even if I understood what it was intended to mean)
This whole thing is either A] Codswallop; or B] An almighty wind-up. Either way, it is the funniest thing that I have heard in years. Give up our garden-NO CHANCE.
How many barratt homes houses have a garage? Or a garden big enough for a car?
Seems like a good excuse to pack a few more houses in
Never read so much fabricated info in my life, who can afford an electric car for a start? Love to know who was contacted for the “survey” as I certainly wasn’t.
Barratt Homes – might have known they build rabbit warrens, and to be quite honest if you can afford one, plus an electric car I wouldn’t buy Barratt.
Easy way to deal with this. ALL new homes should be built with a frontage to allow a vehicle on. Up to the owners then if they want a charging point or not.
There is zero point in having a car charger if the vehicle cannot be parked off road as no-one should be allowed to run cables across a public pavement or highway (pay attention in the new houses in East Cowes).
Moreover, the off road parking space should be of sufficient size to allow the width of a tesla and the length of a transit van without overhanging the pavement.
What a load of rubbish. I’m not giving up.my garden or garages for eco anything I can still have a EV charging point, how much room does one take up? Far better for the environment to have more gardens then more house’s
I cant understand the logic here… Concreting over a garden, or a frontage, is going to cause more flooding issues with the rain run-off having to run to a drain rather than soaking into the soil, and our drains cannot cope with a downpour as it is! Load of rubbish, just like the good old timber framed Barrats homes of old!
Why not put a garage door in the lounge wall so you can drive the car indoors, then you could use the car seats as furniture or watch tv and pretend you are at a drive in. The next generation Barratt homes!