The UK government announced in 2022 a target to cut energy use from buildings by 15 per cent by 2030, measured against 2021 levels1. The target sits alongside the government's existing aim for all homes to reach an Energy Performance Certificate rating of C or above by 2035, where that is practical, cost effective and affordable1. There is no legal requirement for homeowners to meet the EPC target1.
The scale of the work implied by the target is set out in the same report. The UK's housing stock is among the coldest and leakiest in Europe, and 57 per cent of homes in England are currently below the government's energy efficiency target1. The figures are 58 per cent in Scotland, 72 per cent in Wales and 55 per cent in Northern Ireland1. Insulation need is estimated at 13.3 million households for loft insulation, 5.9 million for cavity wall insulation and 7.4 million for solid wall insulation1.
Devolved governments have set their own goals. Scotland has an ambition for all homes to reach EPC C by 2033, while Wales's Fuel Poverty Plan 2021 to 2035 sets targets for no households to be in severe fuel poverty, no more than 5 per cent in fuel poverty, and the number of at risk households halved from 2018, all by 20351. Housing is devolved, so different approaches are being taken in London, Edinburgh, Cardiff and Belfast1. Scotland operates Home Energy Scotland, described as a relatively well developed information and advice service, and Wales has the Nest advice service1.
"in 2022 the government announced a new target to cut energy use from buildings by 15% by 2030 based on 2021 levels"
Take-up of insulation has fallen. In the last five years only 37 per cent of homeowners looked for information about insulation, and 63 per cent of those who looked chose not to proceed with any work, leaving 14 per cent of households having made insulation improvements in that period1. Of homeowners who looked into insulation, 53 per cent said the upfront cost or concern about payback times was the main reason they did not proceed, and 11 per cent of those who looked but did not carry out work said they searched for, but could not find, an available trader1.
| Nation | Homes below the government's energy efficiency target |
|---|---|
| England | 57% |
| Scotland | 58% |
| Wales | 72% |
| Northern Ireland | 55% |
Why it matters for households
The target is set on buildings as a whole, not on individual homes, and it does not oblige any householder to act1. Its practical effect on a home depends on what government support, advice and regulation follow it. The report notes that home heating accounted for 17 per cent of UK emissions in 2019, and that energy prices, while falling from their peak, remain nearly double pre-crisis levels and are predicted to stay high and volatile for the next decade1. It also records that 46 per cent of households did not turn the heating on when it was cold in the past year1.
For a household weighing up insulation, the barriers identified are cost and finding someone reliable. The Competition and Markets Authority has found examples of unsubstantiated claims, greenwashing and limited pricing information by manufacturers and installers in the insulation and green heating sectors1. The Each Home Counts Independent Review, commissioned by the government and published in 2016, called for a quality mark easily recognised by consumers as providing appropriate protection1. The government launched a consultation on EPCs in 2020 and has developed an Action Plan to take forward a number of proposals1.
What happens next
The report records several measures already under way. In September 2023 the government formally launched the Great British Insulation scheme, extending government support for loft insulation or cavity wall insulation to households in council tax bands A to D1. The government has also announced 36 projects that will benefit from Local Energy Advice Demonstrator Project funding1. In winter 2022/23 the UK government ran the "It all adds up" campaign and the Welsh government ran the "every nest is different" campaign1. No further dates for the 15 per cent target have been reported.
Sources1 cited
- gm-b62b4aa1-0569-4eb4-8e7d-502e8c75ce23-insulation-report.pdf, media.product.which.co.uk