"Without more help, many homeowners and tenants will continue to live in high-carbon-emitting homes with high energy costs"
- Tim Bannister - Rightmove
New research from Rightmove has highlighted the urgent need for the next government to help homeowners and landlords make their homes greener.
According to the data, at least 18 million homes have a rating of an EPC D or below - equating to 55% of all UK housing stock. This takes into account both homes that have an EPC and those that have never had one because they haven’t been sold or rented out since EPCs were introduced.
Rightmove’s Energy Bills Tracker shows that the difference in bills between homes with higher and lower energy efficiency ratings can be significant.
The analysis of government data shows that the average energy bill of a three-bedroom house with an EPC rating of F is £4,431 per year, compared with £1,669 for the same sized house with an EPC rating of C – a difference of £2,762.
Green improvements, if suitable for the home, could include window upgrades, roof or floor insulation, installing solar panels or moving from a gas boiler to a heat pump.
A new Rightmove study among over 14,000 people shows that the biggest motivator for someone to make green changes to their home is if it could reduce their energy bills.
The study also found that 87% of renters and 83% of homeowners believe more action should be taken to help people make their homes greener.
Rightmove urges whichever party wins the election to prioritise making green home incentives available to as many homes as possible, as soon as possible, to help the millions of homes that need to be improved.
Tim Bannister, Rightmove’s property expert, says: “While it’s a start to see some green support proposed in the party manifestos, there’s a big job to be done to address the widescale issue that at least 18 million UK homes need to be improved.
“Many homeowners and landlords need urgent access to schemes that enable them to make these improvements, which could help with huge savings on energy bills. Each home requires different improvements and the upfront costs are a huge barrier to change.
"Without more help, many homeowners and tenants will continue to live in high-carbon emitting homes with high energy costs.”
Nathan Emerson, CEO of Propertymark, comments: “Propertymark have long supported initiatives and practical measures to help enhance energy efficiency across the UK. We would be keen to see any incoming government construct a wide-ranging package of support to assist with upgrades at the first opportunity.
"It’s vital there is a diverse approach of funding, grants, and targeted schemes based on age, condition, and size and that there is robust infrastructure in place to deliver on such ambitions.”
