Labour has warned that home insulation and other energy efficiency improvements have plummeted in Britain “at the worst possible time”, as rising bills paint a bleak picture for the colder months ahead.
The party’s analysis found that the installed capacity in the first half of 2022 will drop by more than 50% compared with the same period in 2021, from 261,315 units to 126,131 units. It chalked this up to a “management failure” by the British government.
A document from the Department of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) said the “sharp drop” in the second quarter of 2022 – much lower installations than in the first quarter – was due to transition issues between efficiency plans.
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Labor said the figure for the second quarter of 2022 was the lowest since 2018. The party claims that if ministers had implemented their “national mission” to improve insulation by the time Sir Keir Starmer touted the policy in September 2021, the coldest areas would reach 2 million houses that could have been Upgrade this winter.
It says this will save households more than £2bn in energy bills this year alone.
Labour’s shadow minister on climate change, Kerry McCarthy, said: “The energy price cap has just soared to record levels and there are fears about what it means for bills this winter.
“The government was supposed to insulate homes around the clock and ensure that as many households as possible benefit from lower bills. Its failure to do so, despite repeated warnings, could leave millions in distress.
“The government still has time to pass Labour’s plan to freeze energy bills and protect millions of households this winter. Failure to act will be unforgivable.”
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Friends of the Earth policy chief Mike Childs called on the next prime minister to make energy efficiency a “top priority”.
“The poor insulation levels in UK homes are shocking proof that the government has failed to take the problem seriously,” he said.
“This winter, millions of households will be paying exorbitant rates for heating that will only escape through roofs, walls and ventilated windows and doors.
“The next prime minister must make energy efficiency a top priority and commit to funding a free, street-by-street home insulation scheme – focusing on those most in need.”
A BEIS spokesman said: “We are investing a total of £6.6 billion in this council to improve energy efficiency across the country, with the bulk of our support targeting low-income and vulnerable households.
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“There has been tremendous progress, with 46% of households with an energy efficiency rating of C or above, up from 14% in 2010.
“This benefits tens of thousands of households and saves an average of £300 a year in energy bills.”
Labor’s analysis is based on statistics showing the number of measures installed under the energy company’s obligation scheme, which helps fuel-starved customers insulate their homes.
BEIS said the figures did not take into account the separate Green Home Grant local authority delivery scheme, which aims to improve the energy efficiency of low-income households.
The department also said the sharp drop in installation measures was largely due to the pandemic and the transition between ECO plans.
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Amy Gibbons is PA Political Correspondent.
