Home advantage: Unlocking the benefits of energy efficiency

Home advantage: Unlocking the benefits of energy efficiency 2.29 MB

31 million people in Great Britain live in poorly insulated properties, often facing higher energy bills and cold and draughty conditions. But Citizens Advice research has found that 13 million of these inefficient homes have significant potential to upgrade to Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) C. 

Insulating these inefficient homes by 2030 would unlock almost £40 billion in cumulative economic and social benefits. 

Upgrading homes would save consumers £24 billion on their energy bills by 2030, by making homes more efficient to heat. It would also reduce strain on energy networks, unlocking further savings. 

Making homes warmer also improves health outcomes, reducing the incidence and severity of a range of cold-related illnesses and boosting people’s mental health. Upgrading homes would prevent over 650,000 children developing asthma by 2030, and save the NHS £2 billion in the same timeframe. 

Improving inefficient homes would prevent 6,000 excess winter deaths every year, along with social benefits such as cleaner air due to lower emissions. 

The boost would be strongest for regions with the most inefficient homes, including £5 billion in benefits for the North West alone. 

Citizens Advice is calling for a major retrofitting programme to upgrade 13 million inefficient homes by 2030 and unlock billions in benefits.