ING Study: Majority of Romanian homeowners have taken measures to improve energy efficiency  

  The majority of the homeowners in Romania (83% of the interviewed ones) state that they took measures to improve the energy efficiency of their homes over the last three years, especially by improving the thermal insulation and the reduction of the energy consumption of the devices, according to a study made by Ipsos for ING in seven countries.Similarly, according to the quoted source, only 8% of the homeowners in Romania stated they installed solar panels, less than a half against the general average of 19%.For homeowners who took energy efficiency measures, reducing energy costs was the main reason for doing so (for 84% in Romania compared to 78% overall average), while sustainability considerations were the main reason for 13% of Romanians surveyed, compared to 20% overall (overall average). "Awareness plays a key role in society's transition to a green economy, and the study shows that the majority of Romanians surveyed (6 out of 10) believe that their actions as consumers can have an impact on sustainability. This is a positive signal, as the options for purchasing and financing energy-efficient solutions are becoming more advantageous and diverse", said Iulia Rusu, Retail Business Strategy manager ING Bank Romania.     The study also shows that the most important three criteria in determining the price for the Romanians who want to buy a home as they are willing to pay are as relevance as follows: proximity to facilities (e.g. shops, schools, medical services, etc.) energy efficiency and proximity to transport means.ING Bank Romania is part of ING Group, global international financial institution, which offers banking services to a number of over 38 million individual clients, companies, or institutions in over 40 countries. Set up in 1994, ING Bank Romania is at present a universal bank, offering products and services to all categories of clients – big and small companies, financial institutions, small entrepreneurs and natural persons.ING Bank Romania has over 1.8 million clients in the three segments of business: natural persons (retail), SMEs & Mid-Corporate and Wholesale Banking.