Half of British homes waste over £100 a year through poor insulation
A lack of loft and cavity wall insulation is costing homeowners at least £100 extra a year in fuel bills, says new government statistics.
A recent study found that out of the 23.3 million homes in the UK with lofts, only 57% of those were properly fitted with the recommended 270mm of insulation. Of the 18.7 million homes with cavity walls only 58% had been filled with insulation.
The Energy and Climate Change Secretary Chris Huhne said of the statistics: “At a time when money is tight and with energy prices predicted to rise, householders are missing out on over £100 of savings every single year by not getting their lofts lagged and cavity walls filled.”
According to the Energy Saving Trust (EST), installing loft or cavity wall insulation can cost around £250, which may be too expensive for some homeowners. The government have increased energy company obligations to help the most vulnerable households by providing free or discounted insulation measures. It’s thought that by December 2012, 3.5 million homes will have benefitted from these tougher guidelines.
To help other types of households install insulation, including the worst performing rental home sector, the government is introducing the Green Deal in 2012. This will provide grants of up to £10,000 per household for improvements such as installing insulation or replacing inefficient boilers and windows.
The Green Deal forms part of the governments carbon reduction strategy; they have pledged to reduce overall UK CO2 emissions by 80% by 2050. According to the EST, installing loft insulation in one property alone can save 730kg of CO2 per year while installing cavity wall insulation can save 560kg.
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