No more room for uncertainty in the pursuit of Net Zero
Now isn’t the time to be backing away from green policies that will help improve people’s lives
At Citizens Advice we see firsthand the devastating impact that the cost-of-living crisis is having on people and families around the country. For the first time, more than half of the people we give debt advice to are in a negative budget — this means that even after we’ve done all we can, their income isn’t enough to cover the basics.
As this is unfolding, there’s been a wavering of political support for net zero policies. It’s our firm view that these policies are a central part of the solution to the cost-of-living crisis. They can deliver warmer homes, save people money, and create jobs across the country. Without necessary action it’s not only net zero targets we’ll miss, but targets on reducing fuel poverty. This means households will continue to spend unaffordable amounts on heating their homes. We’ll also leave thousands more households exposed to any future rises in international gas prices.
More than one and a half million children in England live in cold, damp or mouldy private rented homes. In total, over a third of households that are in fuel poverty are in the private rented sector. But unlike homeowners, renters have no ability to improve the energy efficiency of their home. A shocking 55% of renters live in homes with an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) rating lower than band C. This means renters spent more than three quarters of a billion pounds in the first 6 months of 2023 on energy that leaked out of their walls and windows, compared to people in better insulated homes.
It’s plain and simple: without tighter standards for energy efficiency in the private rented sector, people will continue to live in cold homes that are expensive to run and cost them and their children their health. Upgrading all homes to EPC band C could prevent 670,000 children developing asthma and 6,000 winter deaths per year.
It’s also important to remember that the debt crisis currently burning through family finances was fuelled by a sudden increase in the price of gas. This is in large part because of the UK’s heavy reliance on gas for central heating. And the UK is still very exposed to gas prices: between 2024 and 2035, a household with a gas boiler would be expected to have paid £5,700 on imported gas.
A clearly laid out plan for moving away from gas-fired heating is essential to stop another gas crisis from harming households again — not to mention improve the UK’s energy security. But orderly switchovers don’t just happen of their own accord. That is why we support clear phaseout dates for gas boilers, in order to give households and the supply chain certainty over when the change is coming. In fact, the Government’s own Net Zero review said that bringing this date forward would actually increase the amount that households save under net zero.
Of course, we’re adamant that the transition to net zero must be fair for households. But this isn’t a reason to delay or abandon these policies. In the case of minimum energy efficiency standards for renters, we’d welcome a range of incentives for landlords that help make improvements more manageable. We can’t forget that delay comes at a cost too — renters have already spent £2.3 billion on wasted energy since the proposals were first consulted on at the end of 2020, compared to if their properties were EPC band C.
Net Zero is a vital way to improve people’s livelihoods and the Government must react to the cost-of-living crisis by doubling down on its commitment to these policies. Further delays will mean that 1.5 million children will continue to grow up in houses with excessive levels of cold, damp and mould.
