Energy bills top motivator for those considering retrofit
More than half of the UK’s housing stock has an EPC rating of a D or below and needs to be improved, according to Rightmove.
New analysis by the property website shows that at least 18 million homes fall below the standard.
The figure, which 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, equates to roughly 55% of all housing in the country.
Tim Bannister, Rightmove’s property expert, said: “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 home-owners 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 home-owners and tenants will continue to live in high-carbon emitting homes with high energy costs.”
Rightmove’s energy bills tracker shows that the difference in bills between homes with higher and lower energy efficiency ratings would be significant.
Analysis of government data put the average energy bill of a three-bedroom house with an EPC rating of F at £4,431 per year, compared with £1,669 for the same sized house with an EPC rating of C – a difference of £2,762.
A survey of more than 14,000 people revealed that energy bills were the main motivator for someone considering whether to make green changes to their home.
The same study found that 87% of renters and 83% of homeowners believe more action should be taken to help people make their homes greener.
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