Nearly 10 million British households live in ‘cold, damp, poorly insulated homes’

According to analysis, almost 10 million households in the UK live in cold, damp and poorly insulated homes, without earning enough to make improvements.

In total, 34% of British households, or 9.6 million, live in cold, poorly insulated homes. analysis from the English Housing Survey by the Institute of Health Equity and Friends of the Earth.

These 9.6 million households also have an income below The Joseph Rowntree Foundation’s minimum standard for a decent lifemeaning it’s unlikely they would be able to afford the cost of adding insulation to their homes.

The report defines poorly insulated homes as those with an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) of less than C, which are unlikely to have double glazing, energy-efficient lighting, draught-free doors and windows or an efficient heating system.

According to the JRF, a married couple with two children would need to earn £50,000 between them to meet the minimum income standard.

The report comes after Labor scaled back its pledge to spend £28 billion a year on environmental programs as part of its ‘green prosperity plan’, reducing the amount to just £4.7 billion a year.

This cut would have a significant impact on the funding of Labour’s home insulation programme, the largest part of the green plan. Labor had previously pledged to spend up to £6 billion a year on insulating 19 million homes over ten years.

Britain is among the countries with the oldest and least efficient housing stock in Europe.

The report also highlights the effects of cold homes on the health of the British population. Health experts have previously warned that cold homes can damage children’s lungs and brain development, while doubling the risk of adults developing new mental health problems.

Among the report’s recommendations is that the government should commit £74.5 billion across Britain to a 10-year renovation program targeting low-income people in energy-inefficient homes.

Sir Michael Marmot, director of the UCL Institute of Health Equity, said the large number of people living in cold homes was a “national shame”.

Marmot said: ‘Cold homes pose a public health hazard: those who live in them are at much greater risk of developing poor physical and mental health and this increases pressure on the already overburdened NHS and contributes to a poor productivity.

“We need urgent action to tackle poverty and fuel costs and insulate the homes of the poorest, not only because the government has a moral obligation to look after the health of its people, but also, frankly, because they economic sense too.â€

Mike Childs, head of science, research and policy at Friends of the Earth, said: ‘There is no escaping the enormity of the cold housing crisis and the impact it is having on millions of lives. This hard-hitting report should galvanize all political parties into action as we head towards the general election – both the Conservatives and Labor have regressed on this critical issue in recent months.

“Given the enormity of the problem, we need to see transformative levels of investment and action, to curb the enormous social and economic costs of cold homes and ensure our internationally agreed climate targets are met.”

A government spokesperson said the figures did not take into account “homes that have some, but not all, isolation measures in place.”

They added: ‘Everyone has the right to a warm, safe and decent home – almost half of all homes in England now have an EPC rating of C or above, compared to just 14% in 2010.

“We will continue to build on this success and have invested further funding to upgrade more than 300,000 of Britain’s least energy efficient homes.”