The Labour party has criticized the Conservative party for their slow progress in improving the energy efficiency of housing in Britain. An analysis revealed that a major household energy efficiency program is moving very slowly, which the Labour party described as “glacial”.

According to data from the DESNZ, the government’s Eco program has only upgraded around 65,000 homes since its re-launch in April of last year.

The Labour party stated that this number is significantly different from the 1.5 million lofts and cavity walls that were insulated each year before they lost power in 2010.

MPs and campaigners have repeatedly urged the government to accelerate the improvement of homes, against the backdrop of the energy and climate crises. Household gas and electricity bills began to soar in late 2021 and the price rises were exacerbated by a spike in wholesale gas costs after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

This week, Claire Coutinho, the secretary of energy, caused frustration among MPs by stating that the introduction of new oil and gas production may not result in lower energy costs. She made this announcement while introducing a bill that would permit yearly licensing rounds for new projects in the North Sea.

Alan Whitehead, the Labour Party’s spokesperson for energy security, stated that the government’s admission was shocking. Despite the current energy bill crisis, their main energy policy outlined in the king’s speech will not provide any savings for consumers.

Currently, it is evident that the Conservatives are not making any significant efforts to improve the quality of homes in Britain, despite the fact that increasing energy efficiency is a highly effective way to permanently reduce utility costs.

The Conservative party is disconnected from reality to the point that they have abandoned efforts to reduce energy costs for families in Britain.

The Labour party has promised to create a “warm homes plan” that would empower devolved administrations with the necessary resources to upgrade all homes in their jurisdiction to at least an EPC standard C within a ten-year timeframe.

In 2013, the Eco initiative was introduced to reduce household energy costs by enhancing household insulation. Over the span of four years, approximately 1.7 million homes underwent upgrades through the program.

The program was reintroduced in the previous year, providing assistance for families to transition to more eco-friendly heating choices, as well as installing new boilers and insulating cavity walls and lofts.

In March, a new program called Great British Insulation was introduced to assist approximately 300,000 households in the UK with the expenses of installing home insulation. This initiative is expected to result in annual savings of £300 to £400 for consumers on their utility bills.

Some have argued that the plan would require 190 years to improve the energy efficiency of the UK’s poorly insulated homes, and 300 years to fulfill the government’s goals of decreasing fuel poverty.

The DESNZ has been asked to provide a statement.

Source: theguardian.com