Behind the blog Archives The UK has draughty homes with lots of appliances and a desire for renewables Posted by energysavingtrust on 7 August 2014 Aug 072014 The infographic shows dream measures based on the results of our UK Pulse survey. Homes are in a far better shape than a decade ago – there are now virtually no uninsulated lofts. The number of F and G rated homes in the UK (the homes which are extremely energy inefficient) has fallen from 29 per cent in 1996 to just six per cent in 2012. The average energy performance rating of the UK housing stock has gone from an E in 2001 to a D in 2012. The UK is still not where we want it to be but there has been progress. So what needs to be done? This is best summed-up by our resident energy efficiency expert David Weatherall. “We’ve now got to address leaky homes, encourage more people to invest in renewables and LED lighting and get people thinking about how, when and where they use energy. If households are considering making these improvements then now is the time to take action in preparation for the winter months and colder temperatures.” Our UK Pulse findings reveal a significant proportion of UK households (43 per cent) still claim to live in homes that experience draught problems. There is still work to be done to fix these problems and that’s where energy efficiency measures come into play; from low-cost draught excluders to higher cost wall insulation. But energy problems aren’t restricted to issues with bricks and mortar. The UK public are concerned about their appliances too – how many they own, how they use them and how much electricity they use, although we reveal that very few know how much electricity a fridge-freezer or kettle uses. Domestic appliances are the main reason that people attribute towards a lack of energy control in the home – ahead of living in homes that are difficult to heat. Despite the need for energy efficiency measures, these things did not feature at the top of people’s wish lists. The most sought-after “ideal” home improvement was renewable energy systems, such as solar panels (23 per cent put this as their number one technology), revealing the UK public wants to become energy producers and not just energy savers in their own home. Follow our top tips to see what can be done in your home to improve its energy performance, from low-cost behaviour change to installing higher cost renewables. For more information about the UK Pulse get in touch with us at ukpulse@est.org.uk Categories: Uncategorized One Response to “The UK has draughty homes with lots of appliances and a desire for renewables” jim ward 1 September 2014 at 7:54 pm i live in a gentoo rented home which is very drauhgty to say the least i have contacted them on many occasions to seek help to no avail told nothing can be done they say it is wind and waterproof it is single glazed very large windows onwindy days curtains and blinds blow about so how can they justify their stance we are not looking forward to winter bills are high as all we do is heat the streets not our home isthere any advice you can give me thank you in anticipation jim ward Comments on this post are now closed. Previous: Building using waste is far from a rubbish idea Next: Turbine technologies: Winds of change Recent posts In search of energy independence British households could save £1.7bn a year Green energy revolution: solar innovation and more The rise in building energy efficiency Energy keeps moving with the times Recent comments energysavingtrust on New capacity fuels biomass debate Philip Bradfield on New capacity fuels biomass debate Jane Yerbury Sweeney on Supporting urban energy in Wales Ewa Lewandowska on International energy agendas make progress Jeremy Harrow on Research ranks renewable performance Tags advice carbon reduction climate change Community energy DECC ECO electric car electric cars electricity electric vehicles energy bills energy efficiency energy saving Energy security EU EV Feed-in Tariff fuel poverty green-tech green building Green Deal green economy green investment heating innovation insulation lighting local authorities Plugged-in Fleets recycling renewable energy renewables research retrofit RHPP smart home smart meters solar power solar PV sustainability sustainable business technology field trials water efficiency Water Energy Calculator wind power Subscribe Your email: Get an RSS feed of this blog Follow us on Twitter © The Energy Saving Trust