Brits who live in poorly insulated housing could face paying an extra £600 more a year on energy bills even though prices are set to fall. The extra costs are all down to your home's energy performance certificate (EPC) rating warns the Energy and Climate Change Intelligence Unit (ECIU). An EPC rating is a review of a property's energy efficiency, and it is represented on a scale from A, which is the most efficient, to G which is the least efficient. According to the group's analysis, homes with a rating of F are set to pay substantially more over the next year than those with a rating of C. The research revealed that households with an F rating could be paying an extra £340 a year for gas and £260 a year for electricity. An EPC rating is based on how much energy your property uses per square metre, eg for heating, light and so on, and how much energy it loses through things such as poor insulation. Homes with an F or G rating usually do not have adequate insulation in their walls/ceilings and likely do not have double glazing, so whatever heat is being made by the boiler will quickly escape through these gaps. This means your boiler will have to work harder to heat your home, using more energy, so in turn your bills will be much higher. The extra cost is when compared to homes with EPC ratings of C, which are considered reasonably well-insulated. However, the research found that even D-rated homes will face annual bills around 15% higher. Royal Mail plans to cut second-class letter deliveries to every other week day HMRC warning as Brits could face 'unexpected' bill due to little-known tax quirk Jess Ralston, energy analyst at ECIU said: "For millions living in cold, leaky homes, insulation is crucial for lowering bills. But with energy independence remaining a top concern for the public and politicians alongside the cost of living, insulation is now also key to reducing our demand for gas. Unless we start to use less gas, we'll just have to import more from abroad as the North Sea continues its inevitable decline, regardless of new licences." The ECIU said that a little over a decade ago there were considerably more homes being insulated every year in the
UK. The number of insulation measures has however dropped 95% compared to the period before changes made by former Prime Minister and current foreign secretary David Cameron . In September last year, current Prime Minister Rishi Sunak scrapped plans that would have forced private landlords to ensure their properties had a minimum level of insulation. At the moment, privately rented homes only need to meet the EPC rating of band E, which is considered a "low rating". The move was to set the minimum limit to a rating of C. Jess added: "Government insulation schemes are not delivering at target levels and fixing them does not seem to be a priority, despite the bill and energy security benefits. The next government, whatever colour it is, rapidly needs to increase deployment of energy efficiency measures if it wants to gain energy independence and lower bills." To increase your home's EPC rating, you will need to invest in upgrades such as wall and roof insulation, draught-proofing, double glazing and more efficient heating systems. You can find your home's EPC rating through the GOV.UK website here . A Department for Energy Security and Net Zero spokesperson said: "Nearly half of all homes in
England now have an EPC rating of C or above, up from just 14% in 2010. We have allocated £20billion for energy efficiency over this Parliament and next – helping cut bills for those families who need it most. Our investment will raise insulation standards of around 500,00 homes across the UK." Beauty fans race to Boots as viral US brand Milk Make-up drops