Labour party on a mission to upgrade energy inefficiency...

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 that is currently rated below EPC Band C would be eligible for a combination of grants and loans to help improve insulation.

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).

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 analysis that showed 63% 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 (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.

Labour said making homes warmer by installing heating-saving measures to walls, lofts, and ceilings is one of the best ways to cut energy bills over the long term. With the UK having some of the draughtiest, leakiest housing stock in Europe, it estimates a proper national scheme to improve energy efficiency could save the average household up to £400 off their annual energy bills.

Ed Miliband, Labour’s Shadow Secretary of State of Climate Change and Net Zero, said: “As families face the steepest rise in energy bills on record, it is shameful that Boris Johnson and Rishi Sunak are refusing to take the action needed to help them. They have opposed our windfall tax on the oil and gas producers making record profits. Now they oppose delivering a proper home insulation plan that could cut bills for working people.