Inefficient homes could be sending energy bills soaring 53,000 households may be paying hundreds more than they need to
MORE than 53,000 households in Rochdale could be paying hundreds more than they need to for their gas and electric bills - due to living in energy inefficient homes.
Homes which are rated in Bands D to G for their energy performance could be paying as much as £824 on energy bills due to the fact the houses are inefficient.
Energy Performance Certificates (EPC), which are required when selling or renting out a home, give each house or flat a score out of 100 based on data about the building’s energy features, such as the building materials used, the heating systems and insulation.
Those are then placed in bands from A (most efficient) to G (least efficient).
Based on analysis of figures from the Office for National Statistics, 53,649 homes in Rochdale were potentially in Bands D to G, which is 57% of local homes which have an EPC rating.
The average estimated energy cost for a Band C property in England was £537 a year in 2020/21 (which means it doesn’t include the recent price rises) - £287 less than the £824 those in Band D properties paid on average.
Those in Band G properties were paying as much as £2,328 a year.
To address the immediate crisis, the Labour Party say they would levy a oneoff windfall tax on the oil and gas producers making bumper profits from these high prices to save households up to £600 on their energy bills.
Labour say their plan would all but eliminate the price rise for lowincome families, pensioners and the squeezed middle.
Ed Miliband, Labour’s Shadow Secretary of State of Climate Change and Net Zero, said: “Twelve years of failure by the Conservatives to insulate our homes is one of the reasons bills are so high.
“Too many working people and pensioners live in draughty, cold homes with high heating costs. If this Government were serious about cutting energy bills, it could start right now, insulating as many homes as possible this year. But they are not on working people’s side. Only Labour can deliver the real long term plan families need to tackle the cost of living crisis.”
A Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy spokesperson said: “We are investing over £6.6bn to decarbonise homes and buildings and bringing in higher minimum performance standards to ensure all homes meet EPC band C by 2035.
“At the same time we recognise the pressures people are facing with the cost of living, which is why we have set out a £22bn package of support and the energy price cap continues to insulate millions of customers from volatile global gas prices.”
The funding for decarbonising homes includes the Heat and Buildings Strategy with an accompanying £3.9 billion of support with nearly £1.8 billion targeted at lowincome households through the Home Upgrade Grant and the Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund.
There’s also more than £1.4 billion to upgrade public sector buildings.
The funding aims to improve up to 500,000 homes, saving households hundreds of pounds per year on their energy bills and reducing reliance on gas.