A recent study by the Imperial College London found that the UK is falling behind other countries efforts to produce more energy-efficient solutions for homeowners and businesses.
Countries including Germany, France, Sweden, Norway, Italy and the Netherlands have recently been rolling out multiple programmes and incentives to reduce energy consumption and costs.
However, the UK government has been and continues to fall behind in conserving energy, leaving Brits in some of the least efficient housing in Europe, and compounding the energy and cost of living crises.
Dr Salvador Acha, from Imperial’s Department of Chemical Engineering, said: "Studies show the UK's 28.6 million homes are among the least energy efficient in Europe and lose heat up to three times faster than on the continent, making people poorer and colder.”
Although the UK government is now taking the right steps, action still needs to be taken on a much larger scale. If each eligible home claims the maximum grant of £15,000, the new government scheme will help around 67,000 homes, which is only 0.25% of housing!
At present households are encouraged to replace their gas boilers with air-source heat pumps while benefitting from a £5,000 grant. The installation of gas boilers in new housing developments is set to be phased out by 2035 and both new and existing homes will have to meet at least EPC band C ratings by 2035.
The UK government has also said to be committed to installing 600,000 heat pumps per year by 2028, ensuring heat pumps are no more expensive to buy and run than gas boilers by 2030.
Providing more energy-efficient solutions can help reduce the amount of energy we need to heat our homes. Well-insulated homes leave more money in people’s pockets and keep them warm, well, and comfortable.
Energy-efficient homes can also help to reduce our demand for overseas energy sources, strengthening our national energy security.
If you’d like to make a difference in the UK’s energy situation, take a look at our energy job vacancies.
