The UK has some of the most poorly insulated homes in Europe, although the nation was previously a leader in this area. Fifteen years ago, around a million homes a year were retrofitted with insulation and a target was set for all new homes to be zero-carbon by 2016, Big Issue reports.
However, all these initiatives are now forgotten. The UK has pulled out of the race for a low-carbon economy – and working families in need of money will be paying the price. As the cold weather arrives, energy prices are on the rise again, and from this month, people are facing another price hike: a typical annual energy bill will rise by £95 to £1,928.
It costs over £700 a year more to heat a poorly insulated home than a well-insulated one. Yet the government offers nothing to the millions of people living in draughty homes and being overcharged.
The abolition of minimum energy efficiency standards in rented properties and a return to fossil fuel boilers points to a fundamental failure of leadership, according to Big Issue.
The Tory government is not improving the energy efficiency of homes, but is throwing a lifeline to those who will be forced to choose between heating and eating this winter.
English homes urgently need a green refurbishment to help them become more resilient to the cold. The solution to this problem is at the ready.
As revealed in a recent episode of the Grand Designs show, the UK’s first “Passivhaus premium” home is being built in the Cotswolds. Based on super energy efficient standards developed in Germany, it will generate at least four times more energy than it consumes and will be able to heat eight other homes, Big Issue reports.
However, if the innovations and technologies used in environmentally friendly and energy-efficient projects are only used in a few luxury homes, it is wrong. It is necessary to make such homes available to everyone.
There are individual examples of progress. In Lancaster, 28 energy efficient homes have been built to Passivhaus standards for a local housing association. These are featured in Channel 4’s new series, The Great Climate Fight, and inspire hope for the widespread adoption of green buildings and retrofit schemes across the UK.
Local communities are also pushing for green homes to be built in their neighbourhoods. As part of Friends of the Earth’s Unite for Warm Homes campaign, local groups are lobbying their MPs to support home insulation programmes and help those struggling to pay their energy bills, according to Big Issue.
Much of Scandinavia, Germany and Belgium have already implemented Passivhaus regulations. Scotland is doing the same, and Wales may soon follow. England is not yet on this list.
The energy efficiency and sustainability of our homes has a huge impact on our wallets and our planet, as well as the UK’s climate leadership. It’s time for leaders to listen and act.
