87% of Households Report Increased Utility Bills — Survey on Soaring Energy Prices and Household Financial Burden

WAVE Inc. (Headquarters: Shibuya-ku, Tokyo; CEO: Takanao Kaneko), which operates the renewable energy web platform "Eco x Ene Consultation Service" focusing on solar power and storage batteries, has conducted a "Survey on Soaring Energy Prices and the Household Financial Burden of Utility Costs" targeting 500 adult men and women nationwide living in detached homes.

【Background of the Survey】

Against the backdrop of prolonged situations in Ukraine and the Middle East, energy costs such as electricity, gas, and gasoline continue to remain high. While the government has implemented subsidies and benefits, at the household level, the rise in utility costs is widely felt, and the number of families feeling the increased burden continues to grow.

"My bill doesn't go down even though I'm saving electricity." "Our household budget is tight due to rising electricity and gasoline prices."

In response to these voices, our company conducted a questionnaire survey targeting 500 adult men and women nationwide living in detached homes regarding their anxiety about soaring energy prices, the impact on their household finances, and their countermeasures.

The results showed that about 90% feel anxious about the rise in electricity prices, and 87.0% have experienced an increase in utility costs. Although awareness of energy conservation is high, "endurance-based conservation" is mainstream, and interest in installing solar power and storage batteries using subsidies is growing.

Survey Contents

Which of the following has the greatest impact on your household budget: electricity, gas, or gasoline prices?

Compared to 1-2 years ago, have your household utility costs changed?

To what extent are you concerned about the persistently high energy prices?

What measures are you currently taking at home in response to rising energy prices? (Multiple answers)

If high energy prices continue, what measures would you like to take in the future? (Multiple answers)

How do you feel about the measures taken by the national and local governments against soaring energy prices?

Do you know that there are subsidies for installing solar power and storage batteries?

If you could use subsidies, would your intention to install solar power and storage batteries change?

Survey Summary

"Electricity charges" are the biggest strain on household budgets at 62.2%; 87.0% experience increased utility costs.

When asked "Which has the greatest impact on your household budget among electricity, gas, and gasoline prices?", 62.2% answered "electricity charges," making it the most common response, far surpassing gas charges (10.0%) and gasoline prices (10.6%).

Regarding the overall change in utility costs, 30.6% reported they "increased significantly (by 3,000 yen or more per month)" and 56.4% said they "increased somewhat (by about 1,000 to 3,000 yen per month)," meaning 87.0% have felt an increase, confirming that the impact of soaring energy prices is widely affecting household budgets.

92.6% of households are "concerned" about high energy prices.

To the question "To what extent are you concerned about the persistently high energy prices due to the international situation?", 45.4% answered "very concerned" and 47.2% answered "somewhat concerned," revealing that a staggering 92.6% harbor anxiety.

Only a total of 2.0% answered that they were "not concerned," highlighting the reality that concerns about rising energy prices have spread to almost all households. The instability of the international situation is directly linked to future anxiety at the household level.

Energy saving is mainly "endurance-based" — "turning things off frequently" tops the list at 70.8%.

For "What measures are you currently taking at home in response to rising energy prices?" (multiple answers), "frequently turning off unused lights and appliances" was the most common at 70.8%, followed by "revising the set temperatures for heating and cooling" (42.0%).

On the other hand, investment-type initiatives such as "replaced with energy-saving appliances/water heaters" (3.2%), "installed solar power/storage batteries" (3.6%), and "carried out insulation renovations or window improvements" (2.8%) are still in the minority.

For future measures (multiple answers), "raising conservation awareness and changing behavior" was overwhelmingly high at 70.2%, indicating a continued trend towards "endurance-based conservation." 7.0% cited "installing solar power and storage batteries" as a future measure, showing a certain level of interest in fundamentally reducing utility costs.

77.4% find government/municipal measures "insufficient"; a gap in subsidy awareness.

Regarding measures by national and local governments against soaring energy prices, a total of 77.4% felt they were "insufficient," with 42.2% thinking they were "somewhat insufficient" and 35.2% "completely insufficient."

Furthermore, regarding subsidies from the country and municipalities for installing solar power and storage batteries, 34.2% had "heard of them to some extent" and 20.4% "did not know," meaning 54.6% did not have a concrete understanding of the system, revealing that awareness of the subsidy system is not sufficiently widespread.

With subsidies, 42.0% would "positively consider/install."

To the question "If you could use subsidies, would your intention to install solar power and storage batteries change?", a total of 42.0% showed a positive attitude towards installation, with 36.8% saying they would "positively consider it" and 5.2% "would install it."

This suggests that the existence of subsidies could encourage a shift in mindset from "buying electricity" to "generating it yourself," and if awareness of the subsidy system spreads, it could lead to accelerated adoption.

Conclusion

This survey revealed that while anxiety about soaring energy prices is widespread among many households, the mainstream response in daily life is "endurance-based conservation" such as "frequently turning off unused lights and appliances" and "revising heating and cooling temperatures."

On the other hand, 42% of households answered they would "positively consider/install" if they could use subsidies, indicating a definite increase in interest in long-term measures to reduce utility costs themselves, such as energy-saving equipment and the installation of solar power and storage batteries.

Many households feel the limits of daily savings alone, and it is expected that the option of "generating your own electricity" instead of "buying it" will expand further with the use of subsidy systems.

Details of the questionnaire can be found here: 87% of households feel electricity is expensive. Measures you can take now and subsidies.

About "Eco x Ene Consultation Service" operated by WAVE Inc.

"Eco x Ene Consultation Service" (https://eco-ene.com/solor/) is a bulk quotation service that introduces excellent sales and installation companies completely free of charge. We select the most suitable company for your family's situation and wishes from a nationwide selection of carefully chosen solar power and storage battery installation companies.

Solar Power Bulk Quotation: https://eco-ene.com/solor/

Storage Battery Bulk Quotation: https://eco-ene.com/lp02

【Survey Overview】

Survey Name: Survey on Soaring Energy Prices and the Household Financial Burden of Utility Costs

Target: Adult men and women nationwide living in detached homes

Valid Responses: 500

Method: Voluntary online survey

Period: May 26, 2026

Conducted by: Eco x Ene Consultation Service (https://eco-ene.com/)

Age Breakdown: 20s 40 (8.0%) / 30s 180 (36.0%) / 40s 176 (35.2%) / 50s 83 (16.6%) / 60s 20 (4.0%) / 70+ 1 (0.2%)

Household Size: 1 person 29 (5.8%) / 2 people 96 (19.2%) / 3 people 175 (35.0%) / 4 people 150 (30.0%) / 5 people 38 (7.6%) / 6+ people 12 (2.4%)

Residency (Top 5 Prefectures): Aichi 43 (8.6%) / Tokyo 42 (8.4%) / Osaka 39 (7.8%) / Saitama 33 (6.6%) / Kanagawa 31 (6.2%)

【Notes on Reprinting and Citation】

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▼Company Profile Name: WAVE Inc. Location: SHOKAI Bldg. 3F, 3-16-5 Shibuya, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo Representative: CEO Takanao Kaneko URL: https://www.funwave.jp/