Following a new study, WWF UK and ScottishPower, have called for a ‘significant step up’ in the UK Government’s plans to accelerate the development of energy efficient homes.
Carried out by Frontier Economics, the report found a “substantial gap” between the UK Government’s energy reduction target of 15% by 2030 unveiled in last year’s Autumn Statement and what is on course to be delivered.
Residential properties account for 16% of the UK’s carbon emissions, meaning that an estimated 1.5 million homes will require heat pump installations and another 600,000 will need to be connected to low-carbon heat networks to reach the Government’s target.
The report also found that around 6.6 million homes will need better insulation by 2030 to reach this target however, current policies are only expected to deliver 1.1 million.
“We were pleased when the UK Government set a new target for reducing energy consumption from homes by 15% by the end of the decade – and this report from Frontier Economics highlights the scale of the task ahead,” said Robert McGaughey, head of smart heat at ScottishPower.
“It shows that delivery needs speeding up and support scaling up – planned policies need to come off the drawing board and be actioned, and some new policies are needed too. Accelerating action now to achieve this target will help more households to reduce their heating bills sooner.
“In all of this, there needs to be a strong focus on delivering a whole house approach to those on low incomes, combining insulation improvements with greener heating options such as efficient heat pumps. There is no time to waste in filling the gap – and ScottishPower is ready to play its part.”
The latest study follows a previous report commissioned by both the conservation organisation and energy company which found that a network of low-carbon technologies such as electric vehicle (EV) charges and solar panels could save a typical household up to £2,300 on their energy bills every year.
Additionally, the long-term value of a home with renewable technologies installed can increase by up to £10,000, the report added.
“We know insulating homes protects consumers from high energy bills and we can’t wait until winter – summer is the time to fix the roof. With our homes accounting for 16% of the UK’s carbon emissions, the UK Government must act now and tell us how it will insulate the extra 5 million homes it needs to keep us on track to meet its green ambitions and drive down bills” added Isabella O’Dowd, head of climate policy at WWF.
“Insulating millions more homes is vital for the Government to meet its energy efficiency target and could benefit households to the tune of hundreds of pounds every year.”