According to research by the Association of Local Governments (LGA), people from “fuel-poor” households in England face annual bills of around £ 250 more than necessary due to their poorly insulated homes.
The LGA has identified about 3 million households where better insulation would save large sums for people struggling with rising cost of living. About £ 770 million is wasted each year trying to heat these leaking homes, according to analysis for WPI Economics ’LGA.
The LGA has called for all fuel-poor homes to be adequately insulated by 2030 and estimates that at least two-thirds of the 3 million will need some form of government assistance to achieve this.
David Renard, LGA’s environmental adviser and spokesman, who represents 350 local authorities in England and Wales, said: “So many homes are leaking more and more money as energy prices rise. “This will severely affect family budgets and public money, while increasing the climate crisis. Investment will now save households lower, alleviate the cost of living crisis and mean that families have added security and flexibility to their budgets.” .
The LGA said improving people’s homes would save about £ 500 million for the NHS each year as cold, damp houses contribute to the disease. It would also result in tens of thousands of new green jobs, the LGA said.
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Government aid for the insulation of homes is aimed at the most vulnerable through the regime of obligations of energy companies, which is paid with energy bills. However, this does not reach many households and there is no government program widely available to help most other households in the UK. The Climate Change Committee warned in a scathing report this week that ministers were failing in isolation.
The government aims to insulate about 900 homes a day by 2030.
The LGA said it was in the best position to offer insulation and energy efficiency, a view also adopted by the CCC. But the CCC warned that the government had been reluctant to work with city councils.
Renard said: “Ensuring that homes are well insulated also means that fewer people are at risk for the health risks associated with living in cold and humid conditions, and this is the work we need to do as part of the our drive to zero net. City councils are willing to help the government enforce this mutual benefit policy and increase the number of detached buildings in the winter. “