A warmer Britain – Government calls for more than 20 million homes to be insulated

7th March 2017

As part of its Green Deal, the Government has said that more than 20 million homes across the UK need to have proper insulation.

As reported by the BBC, “A report to Parliament says 25 million existing homes will not meet the insulation standards required by mid-century.”

It added, “The UK needs to cut carbon emissions by 80% by then – and a third of those emissions come from heating draughty buildings.”

It is thought that the government will devise policies as soon as possible.

The authors say this huge challenge also offers an unmissable opportunity under the government’s infrastructure agenda. The fiddly business of insulating roofs, walls and floors creates more jobs and has more benefits than any existing infrastructure priority, they maintain.

The question is: how to pay? The government’s Green Deal scheme for owner-occupiers collapsed amid a welter of criticism that interest rates for insulation were too high, and that the insulation itself was too much hassle.

The big idea behind the Green Deal was to help homeowners make energy-saving home improvements to their property, and let them pay for it by using the savings from their energy bills. As a bonus, you also got a snugger home.

The Energy Company Obligation (ECO) scheme, which was launched alongside the Green Deal and gives grants to low-income households and people living in older properties, will continue until Mar 2017 – its future after that is under review.

If you took advantage of the Green Deal then you may need to look into what savings have been made have been as you don’t want to have to pay out more than what you should have saved. In other words, it shouldn’t cost you more in the long run.

To make your home more energy efficient it is important to look at what home improvements can be made.

It’s important to look at energy tariffs and make sure you are paying for the cheapest one. This can be achieved by switching. The gas and electric are exactly the same – it’s the service that may differ and the price you pay.

Paying for home improvements can be costly, such as installing new windows and doors, and it is a big commitment to undertake the work, but simple and small changes can have a big impact such using draft excluders, setting washing machines to 30°C, installing low-energy light bulbs and turning down the thermostat.