UK falling behind on energy efficient homes

Decarbonising Buildings: Insights From Across Europe was published yesterday (December 14, 2022) by the Grantham Institute – Climate Change and the Environment at Imperial.

Countries including Germany, France, Sweden, Norway, Italy and the Netherlands have been rolling out multiple programmes and incentives to reduce residents’ energy consumption and costs.

Sweden currently has the highest number of ground source heat pumps per capita in the world, while Norway is now heating approximately 85 per cent of its buildings using electricity, 92 per cent of which was produced by hydropower, and 6.5 per cent from wind.

In comparison, the report’s authors say the UK government is falling behind in helping people conserve energy, leaving Britons in some of the least efficient housing in Europe, and compounding the energy and cost of living crises.

In a statement, lead author Dr Salvador Acha, from Imperial’s Department of Chemical Engineering, said: "Studies show the UK's 28.6 million homes are among the least energy efficient in Europe and lose heat up to three times faster than on the continent, making people poorer and colder.