HUNDREDS of thousands of households are paying up to £246 more on their annual gas bills than they need to because of poor insulation.
Families in homes with lower energy efficiency ratings are also suffering the most financially from global gas price increases.
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New analysis carried out by the Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit (ECIU) looks at how Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) bands relate to energy bills.
When a home is built, sold or rented in the UK, it needs an Energy Performance Certificate.
This shows you how much a building will cost to heat and light, what its carbon dioxide emissions are likely to be and what improvements you can make to improve its energy efficiency.
The average band rating for a home in England and Wales is band D, and 37% of properties sit at this level.
Homes rated band D are paying the equivalent of £107 more per year for their gas at current high prices compared to those living in a home rated band C.
This is equivalent to paying a 24% more annually for gas use for heating and cooking at home.
Families in bands E and F homes, of which there are 226,895 in England and Wales, are paying on average £197 and £246 more than band C homes, respectively.
Previously, the government had been pushing programmes to help people tackle their insulation and energy efficiency scores, but the ECIU says that recent efforts have fallen flat.
It said: “Despite the proven effectiveness of energy efficiency, Government support for the sector has tailed off in recent years, with a 95% drop in installations since 2012, leaving households struggling with unnecessarily high heating bills.”
At the same time, fossil gas prices have soared to four times their level in the spring as a result of geopolitical events, demand ramping up as countries in Asia recover from the pandemic, and gas storage depletion during the previous winter.
Dr. Simon Cran-McGreehin, head of analysis at the Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit (ECIU) said: “While we’re busy importing expensive gas, influenced by Putin, our leaky homes are allowing a significant proportion to be wasted.
“A series of home improvements can limit this, cancel out these price rises and help to guard against future price spikes, while making homes warmer and healthier to live in.”
In the UK, energy efficiency standards are lowest in Yorkshire and the Humber, where two-thirds of homes fall below the Government’s EPC band C target set for 2035.
Next worst is the West Midlands where 64% of homes are below band C, and the North West of England where 62% are.
How to improve the energy efficiency of your home
The great news is that improving your energy efficiency rating won’t just keep you comfortable and warm – it can also push up the value of your home.
Studies show that moving your home up through the rankings can increase the price by as much as 14%.
Your EPC will include suggestions of how to improve your rating. If you don’t have one, for instance if you moved before the new rules came in, you can usually get one fairly quickly and it should only cost around £25.
EDF Energy suggests five key steps to start tackling the problem. These are:
- Double glazing. Upgrading your windows and doors won’t just improve your home’s energy performance, it can reduce noise too
- Loft insulation. It’s easy to install, inexpensive and can make a huge difference to your bills. Install loft insulation that’s at least 270mm thick
- Wall insulation. Whether your home has cavity or solid walls, insulating them can improve your EPC rating and you might qualify for help with the costs
- Replace your boiler. You can cut your energy bills with a new, energy-efficient boiler.
- An efficient secondary heating source. Installing a wood-burning stove instead of an open fireplace can give you greater fuel efficiency and reduced costs in the long run.
Lower income households may be able to take advantage of grants of up to £10,000 from councils to improve energy efficiency.
Select councils in England have been given government funding to install energy saving measures to any homeowners who would benefit from the scheme.
If you rent there’s some money on offer too, but the grants are lower and you’d have to get your landlord on board to help cover part of the costs.
You can also try checking with your energy supplier as they sometimes offer free help to improve the energy efficiency of your home.
Martin Lewis explains what you need to do about energy bills as gas prices soar
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