Labour pledge to help insulation costs

NEARLY 250,000 households in Staffordshire could be paying hundreds more than they need to for their gas and electric bills – due to living in energy inefficient homes.

The Labour Party has pledged to lead a national mission to upgrade the energy efficiency of every home that needs it over the next decade. This would mean every home currently rated below EPC Band C would be eligible for a combination of grants and loans to help improve insulation.

Across Staffordshire, 244,524 were potentially in Bands D to G at the end of March last year. The figures are based on Office for National Statistics data that showed 63 per cent of local homes with an EPC were in Band D or below. The average estimated energy cost for a Band C property in England was £537 a year in 2020/21 , £824 for Band D, and £2,328 for Band G.

The Government has been running a Green Homes Grant where it issues vouchers to households at Band D and below to make energy efficiency improvements.