Families in the Stafford authority are paying £16,275,965.40 more a year for their energy bills because they are living in poorly insulated homes, research by the Liberal Democrats has revealed.

Stafford and Stone Liberal Democrats are demanding that the government urgently invest in fixing leaky homes in the area and cutting people’s energy bills in the long term.

The analysis shows 23,670 households in the Stafford authority have received poor energy efficiency ratings (EPC Bands D-G), making up 73% homes in the area. It comes despite a government target to upgrade all homes to Band C by 2035.

The figures show that those living in homes in Bands D to G pay an average of £687 more a year on energy bills than those with a Band C rating. Meanwhile, those on the lowest energy efficiency ratings can pay nearly £1,000 more a year. It means in total, families living in draughty homes in the STafford authority are estimated to be shelling out £16,275,965.40 a year because the government has failed to bring them up to at least a Band C rating.

The research comes after the government refused to invest more in home insulation in its energy security strategy. The Liberal Democrats are calling for a windfall tax on the super profits of oil and gas companies which would raise an estimated £5 billion, £500m of which would be spent on upgrading poorly insulated homes.

Liberal Democrat Parliamentary Spokesperson, Alec Sandiford said:

“This Conservative government’s failure to tackle cold and leaky homes has piled misery on top of the cost of living crisis. They are completely out of touch with families in the Stafford authority who have been left battling to heat their homes and put food on the table.

“Now is not the time for short-sighted penny pinching. We need an emergency package of support to fix poorly insulated homes and cut energy bills in the long term. THis could be funded by a windfall tax on oil and gas companies who are making record profits out of soaring energy prices.”

ENDS

Notes to Editor:

Full data on the number of poorly insulated homes (EPC Bands D-G) is available here, based on EPCs lodged between 2008-2021.

• Analysis of statistics by the Liberal Democrats shows that homes that currently have a Band F EPC rating, which are often poorly insulated, are paying on average £961 more than those in the EPC band C. Full analysis is available here.
• The Government’s current target is for all homes to be of at least EPC Band C rating by 2035.
• If a family remains in a Band F home until the government’s 2035 deadline, they will be paying on almost £12,500 more than those in Band C over the course of that period
• The figures also reveal the areas with the highest proportion of leaky homes. People living in the Isles of Scilly have some of the worst insulated homes, with 85% of homes being in Band D-G. Four in five families in Pembrokeshire and Gwynedd are in poorly insulated homes, paying an estimated £45.7 million more a year, while three-quarters of Blackpool residents are paying around £40 million more for their drafty homes. 

Last year, the government scrapped the Green Homes Grant which offered households vouchers towards the costs of retrofitting homes, in order to improve energy efficiency and slash energy bills.

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