Which? published the Priority Places for Insulation Index on 30 November 2023, an interactive map showing how the need for domestic insulation varies across the UK1. The consumer body said the index uses data on local housing stocks and socio-economic and health data for local populations1. It can be searched by local authority, constituency or Lower Super Output Area in England and Wales, Data Zones in Scotland or Super Output Areas in Northern Ireland1.
Which? estimates that 13.3 million households need loft insulation, 5.9 million need cavity wall insulation and 7.4 million need solid wall insulation1. It describes the UK housing stock as among the oldest and leakiest in Europe1. The index also highlights areas with high proportions of people living in fuel poverty and the prevalence of conditions such as cardiovascular and respiratory diseases that Which? says are worsened by living in a cold, draughty home1.
The best and worst performing local authority areas, as given by Which?, are:
| Nation | Best | Worst |
|---|---|---|
| England (309 local authorities) | 1: Tower Hamlets; 2: Bracknell Forest; 3: Milton Keynes; 4: Crawley | 306: Hyndburn; 307: Burnley; 308: Scarborough; 309: Pendle |
| Wales (22 local authorities) | Monmouthshire | Blaenau Gwent |
| Scotland (32 local authorities) | Stirling | Na H-Eileanan Siar (Outer Hebrides) |
| Northern Ireland (11 local authorities) | Lisburn and Castlereagh | Belfast |
Which? says areas particularly in need are inner city and coastal areas, and those with a typically high proportion of Victorian homes1. The tool also shows how a local area compares to others for the availability of insulation installers per 100,000 people, which can be narrowed to those with suitable consumer protections1. Which? states that a significant stumbling block for provision of insulation is a lack of trained, reliable installers, and that large technical jobs affecting a building's structure, such as floor, cavity and solid wall insulation and certain types of loft insulation, need a trader1.
On government support, Which? sets out that the Energy Company Obligation requires certain energy providers to assist eligible households with energy efficiency measures, usually insulation or a boiler replacement, with most ECO funding available to low-income homes1. The Great British Insulation Scheme, also called ECO+, offers roof, loft or cavity wall insulation to homes with particularly low energy efficiency in certain council tax bands; Which? notes it is not means-tested, and that qualifying properties must have an Energy Performance Certificate rating of D or below and be in council tax bands A-D in England or A-E in Scotland and Wales1. The government expects to help up to 300,000 households this way1. The Home Upgrade Grant is also available for homes off the gas grid1.
"But we think the government could be doing more to support homeowners to insulate their homes - in the form of better awareness, information and advice, as well as offering financial help for fuel-poor households - and make it easier for households to find trained and reliable installers."
Why it matters for households
Insulation is the fabric measure that determines how much of the heat a household pays for stays inside the building, so the index gives a local picture of how much work homes in a given area may need before other measures can perform as intended. The three national figures, 13.3 million households for loft insulation, 5.9 million for cavity wall and 7.4 million for solid wall, indicate the scale of outstanding work1. For a household, the practical questions are which measures apply to its construction type, whether a grant scheme covers it, and whether a competent installer operates locally. Which? reports that installer availability varies by area and can be searched per 100,000 people1. The index also links insulation need to fuel poverty and to health conditions aggravated by cold homes1, which places the issue within wider household energy resilience rather than as a single improvement. Which? has not reported costs, savings or payback figures for individual measures in this article, and no timetable for the index beyond its publication date has been reported.
What happens next
No dated next steps are set out in the article. Which? states that the government expects the Great British Insulation Scheme to help up to 300,000 households1, and directs readers to a government eligibility checker that refers users to their energy supplier for further support1.
Sources1 cited
- The UK areas most in need of insulation - Which?, which.co.uk