The typical UK home could save £1,800 every year on their energy bills by the end of this decade if plans to roll out insulation, and heat pumps are ramped up, according to a new online calculator.
Built by Cambridge Econometrics for Greenpeace UK, the Affordable Energy Calculator allows people to find out how key government decisions about home energy upgrades are likely to affect their own wallets.
If the government makes the investment necessary to meet their 2030 targets for insulation, and support an expanded UK heat pump programme, a typical UK home would see a difference of £1,832 a year, or 64.7%, with savings ranging from around six hundred to several thousand pounds.
As more people use the tool, it will calculate averages for parliamentary constituencies, as well as estimates for individual homes, and will be used as a lobbying tool.
Georgia Whitaker, Climate Campaigner for Greenpeace UK, said:
“Britain’s homes waste more heat than any in Western Europe. We can’t afford to carry on wasting energy like this in a cost of living crisis. Greener homes would keep communities warm and healthy and save us all money. We need the government to support home improvements like insulation and heat pumps to lower bills, boost the economy, and help the UK reach our climate goals. Heating our homes really shouldn’t cost the earth. Our Affordable Energy Calculator shows how much individuals and communities across the UK could save if the Government commits to invest in our homes in the upcoming Energy Bill.”
Greenpeace, and the Warm This Winter campaign of anti-poverty and environmental NGOs, are calling for £5.3 billion to be invested by the government this Parliament in improving insulation, and £3.37 billion on supporting the roll out of heat pumps. Heating in UK homes produces nearly 17% of the country’s greenhouse gas emissions.
Jen Dicks, Managing Economist at Cambridge Econometrics said:
“The Affordable Energy Calculator gives individuals greater clarity about how improving both the energy efficiency of their home and installing a heat pump can substantially reduce household energy bills through reduced energy demand. Reduced energy demand is not only good for households who are struggling with high energy bills and the cost of living in general, but public investment in decarbonising UK homes has the potential to also deliver greater economic growth whilst tackling emission reductions in the long-term.”
The Affordable Energy Calculator, from Cambridge Econometrics and Greenpeace UK – https://affordableenergycalculator.org/