With the price cap predicted to rise on Friday, nearly three quarters (72%) want the UK’s worst homes to be prioritised with a properly funded insulation and ventilation scheme, which experts have calculated could save up to £400 on yearly energy bills.
Six out of 10 people (59%) actively support a fully-funded nationwide insulation and ventilation programme to create healthy, energy efficient homes that will also make bill payers less exposed to energy shocks.
This Friday’s price cap announcement is predicted to see bills rise again just as winter bites and will mean people in the UK will be paying energy bills 66 percent higher than before the crisis if the pundits are correct.
The poll of over 2,000 people in the UK by Opinium [1] also shows cross party support for a radical overhaul of the UK’s housing stock.
Caroline Simpson, spokesperson for the Warm This Winter campaign which commissioned the poll, said:
“The public have spoken. They want a comprehensive, funded, insulation and ventilation programme which prioritises the worst homes first.
“If the Government acts now and puts the right measures in place, it would be welcomed by the majority of people in the UK no matter how they voted in July. And as well as making healthier, happier homes, it would also bring down bills in the long term, which would protect us from the ongoing cycle of energy shocks.”
Support for a funded insulation and ventilation programme crosses party lines with 69% of those who intend to vote Labour, 65% of Liberal Democrats, 54% of Conservatives and 53% of Reform, backing a more comprehensive plan.
Almost half (47%) of those polled are worried about how they will stay warm this winter, with 46% worried that they may need to rely on the NHS this winter.
The research also found that 80% believe landlords should be responsible for making sure rental properties are energy efficient and fit to live in for renters and found that 42% say they are worried about being able to afford the costs to improve the energy efficiency of their home, including even basic measures such as buying draft excluders.
A large-scale insulation drive to bring the homes of 31 million people up to standard by 2030 through upgrading homes from the UK average Energy Performance Certificate band D to band C would cut household bills by 20% or around £150 in 2024. For the worst homes this saving rises to just less than £400.
It would also reduce pressure on the NHS as cold homes cost the NHS around £500m per year, and bring down new cases of childhood asthma by 650,000, according to Citizens Advice.
End Fuel Poverty Coalition coordinator Simon Francis said:
“The Budget came nowhere near close to providing the funding needed to secure a Warm Homes Plan for those suffering the most in fuel poverty.
“But fully funding support to insulate, ventilate and improve the heating in people’s homes is the fastest way to bring down energy bills for good.
“Households - and employers in the industry- need the reassurance that the Government will stick to its word and deliver the £13.2bn investment in the Warm Homes Plan that they promised during the election campaign.”
Because such an insulation programme will take time to kick in, it’s not surprising that three-quarters also support a social tariff for older and disabled people and two-thirds also feel that it should be part funded by the wider energy industry who have raked in over £457 billion [2] in profits since the start of the crisis.
Added Caroline:
“We need a long term approach bringing our homes up to standard so people don’t live in fear of the quarterly Price Cap announcements. We also need financial help now for the most needy and the public firmly believe the wider energy companies should pick up the tab for that.”
When it comes to fears of how to keep homes warm this winter, over 65s are by far the most concerned group with half (50%) worried about how they will stay warm and the same number of older people scared about using the NHS in the colder months.
NOTES
[1] Opinium conducted an online survey of 2,014 nationally and politically representative UK adults between 7th and 8th October 2024.
[2] Data as at 3 September 2024. Researchers examined the declared profits of the 20 firms the End Fuel Poverty Coalition is most asked to comment on. This sample of the industry ranges from energy producers (such as Equinor and Shell) through to the firms that control our energy grid (such as National Grid, UK Power Networks and Cadent) as well as suppliers (such as British Gas). It does not include supply chains nor market trading firms.
