By Roger Harrabin
The environment analyst of the British Broadcasting Corporation.
The image is from the same source.
The image caption is.
New insulation will be installed in council homes.
A group of businesses and charities say that better insulation could save UK households hundreds of dollars a year on energy bills.
The Energy Efficiency Infrastructure Group wants the prime minister to prioritize energy saving through home improvements.
The group says it could save the UK billions of dollars.
The government is under pressure to act.
When the energy price cap is raised in April, it will take higher wholesale gas prices into account, which will lead to further increases in energy bills.
The government is trying to find ways to help those on low incomes who will struggle to pay their heating bills.
The EEIG says that the previous administrations failed to ensure that Britain's homes are adequately insulated and that is partly to blame for higher bills.
Sarah Kostense-Winterton said that the cost-of-living crisis is being driven by soaring gas prices. Reducing demand through energy efficiency measures is a permanent solution to lower bills.
Emergency short-term measures for the most vulnerable households are crucial, but it's fundamental for the government to simultaneously focus on the long term to avoid futures crises.
Green home retrofits are a "no regrets" solution to the energy crisis, climate crisis, and levelling up agenda.
Britain has the worst housing stock in western Europe and residents are particularly exposed to spikes in gas prices.
Governments that have been in power have failed to tackle the problem. The Green Homes Grant was scrapped after six months.
The chancellor was urged by backbench MPs to introduce a multi-year energy efficiency programme, but he declined.
The EEIG wants the government to provide additional support for vulnerable households to prevent a fuel poverty emergency.
The government is considering expanding the Warm Homes Discount.
The EEIG wants ministers to bolster the Energy Company Obligation which requires energy suppliers to help low-income households.
The group is worried that the chancellor may suspend the long-term ECO funding and shift the cash to tackle the immediate bills problem instead.
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Energy bills are going to go up by hundreds of pounds in April.
The EEIG warns that cutting ECO would be harmful for households and industry, and would stall progress in making fuel-poor homes more energy efficient.
Boris Johnson promised £9 billion for energy efficiency.
The EEIG says money not allocated amounts to a broken promise.
The EEIG is calling for a grant or subsidy scheme to help insulate homes.
Even though insulation is a vital part of the strategy to cut carbon emissions, two-thirds of households have no financial support for it.
The energy efficiency of England's homes has been upgraded from 9% rated grade C in 2008 to 40% today, according to a government spokesman.
He said all new heating systems in the UK will be low-carbon. To cut the cost of heat pump, we're offering grants to households worth £5,000.
Improving energy efficiency is the best long term solution to tackling fuel poverty, which is why we are supporting households across the UK to improve their energy performance and reduce bills, having already invested over a billion dollars this year alone to upgrade up to 50,000 homes.
The Energy Price Cap will remain in place, shielding millions of customers from rising global gas prices, and we are continuing to support lower-income households through £4.2 billion in support.
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