Homes in Rushcliffe have the second-highest CO2 emissions per home per year across the region, while Nottingham city has by far the lowest according to the data analysed.
More than 12 million domestic properties across the UK fall below the government’s long-term target to make homes energy efficient. That represents almost two-thirds of all households that hold an energy performance certificate.
It means UK householders are spending billions more on energy bills and are pumping millions of tons more CO2 into the atmosphere than necessary.
An Energy Performance Certificate provides a grade between A and G for how efficient a property is. An A grade indicates lower energy costs and better insulative measures. A Grade G is at the other end of the scale. C is just above average.
The government had set a target of making all homes in England and Wales the equivalent of an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) “C grade” by 2035, but critics say moves towards achieving that “have fallen off a cliff”.
Almost a fifth of all CO2 emissions is generated by domestic properties, mainly due to the dependence on gas for our heating and cooking. But the energy efficiency of our homes (how well they are insulated, glazed, or use alternative measures to reduce energy use) also has a major impact on emissions.
The government launched a consultation on a new building standard for homes, which it hopes will address some of these issues, but with 90% of the existing housing stock built before 1990, there is a growing need for retrofit measures.
We sourced data from a variety of sources including the UK census and open data on EPC certification, as well as looking at information from the various nation housing surveys.
We extracted a series of measures for each local authority in Nottinghamshire to determine:
The proportion of homes currently falling short of the government target to make homes energy efficient (homes currently in the D to G bands)
Hover over each local authority on the below table to see the average estimated cost savings for heating, lighting and water bills if properties underwent all possible improvements (such as cavity wall insulation). Savings are annual
Nottingham City Council Deputy Leader, Cllr Sally Longford told The Wire: “As part of our efforts to be carbon neutral by 2028, we have carried out a wide range of improvements to over 40,000 homes in the city.
“We have piloted the pioneering Energiesprong approach on a number of homes in Sneinton, and are now rolling this out initially to 150 homes.
“This turns some of the most energy inefficient homes into net carbon zero homes through an innovative combination of solar roofs, external insulation and state-of-the-art heating systems.
“We’d certainly like to see the Government step up to help us do even more, as we are fully committed to doing all we can to make homes more energy-efficient, not just to help save the planet but to save on bills for local people.”
Rushcliffe Borough Council’s Executive Manager for Neighbourhoods Dave Banks said: “58% of homes in Rushcliffe sit within Band D Council Tax or above and to some extent this highlights a larger volume of households are responsible for bigger properties that can be more challenging to maintain energy efficiency ratings.
“We are continuing to work with energy suppliers to obtain funding for an Energy Company Obligation Scheme (ECO) that can assist with boiler upgrades and insulation measures that can improve emission levels.
“The Flexible Eligibility part of this initiative has seen us now obtain the most installations of energy efficiency measures in the County, having adapted the criteria to allow more properties to qualify for support.
“Smoke control areas are also active in West Bridgford and Edwalton to ensure we monitor wood burning stove and fire emissions in two of our larger residential areas.”
What is an energy performance certificate?
EPCs are designed to measure the efficiency of a house by looking at how well a property is insulated, glazed, or uses alternative measures to reduce energy use. Homes are given a grade between A and G. The closer to A the more efficient the home, meaning it should have lower energy bills and a smaller carbon footprint.
England’s stated ambition for all homes to meet the EPC “C” standard by 2035.
The EPC process looks at several things, including:
For the EPC homes are rated on:
Energy efficiency – looking at the cost it takes to keep a home warm, to provide hot water and lighting
The current CO2 emissions
The type (if any) of double glazing
Whether the home has wall and roof insulation
The type of fuel used for heating – e.g gas
Whether renewable energies are in place – e.g. wind turbines, solar panels.
There is already a legally binding target of upgrading all households in Fuel Poverty by 2030 but campaign groups say the government does not have the arrangements in place to actually meet those targets.
The BEIS select committee described progress as slowing “to walking pace”. It says the average annual rate at which homes undertake energy performance improvements in the UK needs to increase by a factor of seven.
