Organisation warns of surge in heating costs for poorly insulated homes

Organisation warns of surge in heating costs for poorly insulated homes

0:01 AM, 10th April 2024, About 3 weeks ago

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Poorly insulated homes will cost £340 more to heat from April, according to new research.

Data by the Energy and Climate Change Intelligence Unit (ECIU) reveals homes with an EPC rating of F will face the biggest increase with a 50% rise in gas bills.

Even homes rated as D will face a 15% hike in heating costs compared to if they had been upgraded to the government’s target of band C.

Insulation is crucial to lowering bills

The ECIU has previously criticised the government for abandoning EPC targets for landlords, claiming the decision will leave 2.8 million privately rented households colder and poorer.

The targets would have required landlords to ensure their rental properties had a minimum EPC rating of C.

The mooted deadline was 2025 for new tenancies, and by 2028 for all tenancies.

Jess Ralston energy analyst at ECIU, says the government must do more to meet government insulation targets.

She said: “For millions living in cold, leaky homes, insulation is crucial for lowering bills. But with energy independence remaining a top concern for the public and politicians alongside the cost of living, insulation is now also key to reducing our demand for gas.

“Unless we start to use less gas, we’ll just have to import more from abroad as the North Sea continues its inevitable decline, regardless of new licenses.

“Government insulation schemes are not delivering at target levels and fixing them does not seem to be a priority, despite the bill and energy security benefits.

“The next government, whatever colour it is, rapidly needs to increase deployment of energy efficiency measures if it wants to gain energy independence and lower bills.”

Insulation rates have fallen

At times over the last decade, insulation rates have been 95% lower than their peak of 2.3 million measures per year in 2012.

According to the EICU, in 2023 just 295,000 energy efficiency measures were installed across multiple government programmes which is around 85% lower than in 2012.


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