Some UK Regions Are Falling Behind in Home Energy Efficiency Improvements

City Energy Network (CEN), a leading provider of home energy efficiency services, has calculated that some parts of the UK are falling behind in the drive to insulate and upgrade cold and draughty homes.

Under the Energy Company Obligation (ECO) scheme, energy companies spend around £1 billion a year on energy efficiency improvements for low-income households. More than 2.5 million households have received some sort of home improvement under the scheme since 2013.

Cardiff-based CEN is one of the biggest suppliers of energy efficiency measures under ECO and has helped thousands of homes under the scheme.

The company, which operates nationwide, said that while ECO has been good for the whole country, some places are feeling greater benefits from it than others.

CEN said that 135 in every 1,000 homes in the North-West of England have received some sort of energy efficiency upgrade under the ECO scheme. In Scotland the rate is 131 per 1,000 and in the North-East it is 128 per 1,000.

By contrast, the installation rate is 58 per 1,000 in the South-East, 63 per 1,000 in the East of England and 96 per 1,000 in Wales.

The analysis is published as ministers prepare their Warm Homes Plan, which will set out how the UK Government will deliver on Labour’s manifesto promise to “upgrade five million homes to cut bills for families.”

Britain has some of the draughtiest housing in Europe, and energy efficiency is expected to move up the national agenda as winter approaches and energy prices rise by 10% in October.

CEN CEO Paul Screen said:

“ECO is a fabulous scheme that makes homes warmer and greener, and we’re delighted to be one of the leading providers nationwide. But not all parts of the country are seeing the full benefit yet, so we’ve all got more work to do.

“We’re looking forward to working with the new Government to make sure the benefits of its Warm Homes Plan are felt everywhere.

“Everyone feels the pinch from rising energy prices. The cheapest energy is the energy you don’t use, so doing more to make Britain’s homes warmer and greener is a no-brainer.”

Screen said that CEN has “ambitious” plans to grow its nationwide operations in the years ahead, to serve more household across the UK. CEN currently employs 1,200 people and operates a training centre in Cardiff that equips thousands of workers with green homes skills every year.

He said:

“Making homes warmer and greener is a triple win: families save money on energy bills, Britain emits less carbon and depends less on fossil fuels, and thousands of people get well-paid skilled jobs.’’

Number of households in receipt of measures through the ECO scheme by region of the UK