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The research, published Monday, shows that many customers, who are sceptical about the impact climate change is having and the programmes in place to curb carbon emissions, are willing to pay up to ?15 per year. People who are very supportive of carbon abatement programmes and can afford to do so would pay ?50 to ?100 to support these programmes. However most feel strongly that business and energy suppliers should bear the majority of the costs.

The research is part of Ofgem's Consumer First project which aims to get a better understanding of consumers' concerns about their energy consumption.

Ofgem Chief Executive, Alistair Buchanan, said:

?Household emissions account for nearly a third of Britain's emissions so it is vital that customers are willing to shoulder some of the burden of tackling carbon emissions. Our research shows that there is a willingness from most consumers to help tackle carbon emissions, but there is confusion and pessimism about how effectively industry and government can fight climate change.

?So the challenge is to convince consumers that the bill for reducing emissions is a fair reflection of the real cost of making those reductions and to communicate effectively how government and business are tackling the problem. UK consumers will rightly demand an explanation when their bills go up that these costs have been incurred as efficiently as possible.?

Most of the customers interviewed were aware of simple steps they can take to reduce energy consumption, such as turning off lights and not leaving electrical equipment on standby, but they felt that modern lifestyles make it difficult to be energy efficient. They believed that tackling climate change is a collective responsibility for the government, business, suppliers and customers.

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