According to a collection of business organizations and charities, better insulation may save UK homeowners more than £500 per year on energy expenditures.
The Energy Efficiency Infrastructure Group is urging Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to make energy conservation a top priority through residential upgrades. According to the organization, it could save the UK £7.8 billion every year.
Political pressure is mounting on the government to act in response to skyrocketing gas prices.
Household energy bills have risen in recent months, with more hikes set to take effect in April when the energy price cap is adjusted to account for rising wholesale gas prices. The government is looking into methods to assist low-income people who will be unable to afford increasing heating prices.
However, the EEIG, which includes the CBI, Kingfisher, the Energy Savings Trust, and the environmental organization WWF, claims that this administration and past administrations are partly to blame for increased costs since they failed to ensure that Britain’s homes were appropriately insulated.
“Soaring gas prices are driving the cost-of-living problem,” stated EEIG chairwoman Sarah Kostense-Winterton. “Reducing consumption through energy efficiency techniques is a long-term strategy to lower bills.”
“While emergency short-term measures for the most vulnerable households are critical, the government must also focus on the long term to avoid repeat disasters.” “Green home retrofits have enormous social, environmental, and economic co-benefits, and stand out as a ‘no regrets’ solution to the energy crisis, climate crisis, and leveling up agenda,” according to the report.
Britain’s housing stock is the coldest and leakiest in Western Europe, putting residents at risk from rising gas bills. Several governments have failed to put policies in place to address the issue. The Green Homes Grant, the most current insulation program, was canceled after only six months.
Backbenchers pressed the chancellor to use last autumn’s Budget to announce a multi-year energy efficiency plan, but he rejected it.
In the immediate term, the EEIG wants the government to provide more assistance to disadvantaged households to avoid a fuel poverty emergency.
Expanding the Warm Homes Discount, which the government is considering, is one example.
The EEIG, on the other hand, believes that governments should strengthen the Energy Company Obligation (ECO), which mandates energy suppliers to assist low-income households in implementing energy-saving measures.
The group is concerned that the chancellor would withhold long-term ECO funding to focus on the urgent bills situation.
Cutting ECO, according to the EEIG, would be harmful to households and businesses, halting efforts in making fuel-inefficient homes more energy-efficient, jeopardizing green jobs, and keeping people reliant on expensive gas.
Boris Johnson committed £9 billion for energy efficiency by 2030 in his platform. The EEIG claims that money not allocated amounts to a broken promise, although £6 billion was authorized to be spent this session.
The EEIG also proposes a new £3.6 billion grant or subsidy program to assist all people, including private homeowners, in insulating their homes.
According to the EEIG, two-thirds of families now lack financial help for insulation, even though insulation is an important aspect of any carbon-reduction strategy. Conservative Environment Network MPs applauded the insulation campaign over the weekend.
According to a government spokesman, the country has already made significant progress in improving the energy efficiency of its dwellings, which has increased from 9% in 2008 to 40% now.
From 2035 onwards, all new heating systems installed in UK households would be low-carbon technology such as heat pumps or hydrogen-ready boilers, according to him. This will be a 14-year shift, and we’re offering $5,000 incentives to homes to help with the expense of heat pumps.
“Improving energy efficiency is the best long-term answer to fighting fuel poverty, which is why we’re enabling homeowners across the UK to improve their energy performance and lower bills, having already invested £1.3 billion this year to update up to 50,000 homes,” he added.
“We will keep the Energy Price Cap in place, protecting millions of customers from rising global gas prices, and we will continue to support lower-income households with £4.2 billion in support, including the Home Upgrade Grant, Energy Company Obligation, and the new £500 million Household Support Fund.”