According to the National Housing Federation, a family living in social housing that has an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) rating of D or below spends, on average, £1,343 per year on heating. If these properties were insulated and brought up to an EPC of C or above, it is projected that this would decrease by 42% to £776 per year. This translates into annual savings for all such residents in England of more than £700 million, it claimed.

Poorly insulated homes, according to the National Housing Federation, are one of the nation’s “biggest environmental polluters” and have turned into a “major culprit” in the cost-of-living crisis.

According to the report, a large number of families are at risk of going into debt or poverty as a result of rising energy costs, and nearly all residents of social housing are dependent on benefits.

The Conservative Party promised £3.8 billion to decarbonize social housing by 2030, of which around $1 billion has already been committed. The National Housing Federation is urging the government to release the whole amount.

According to this, social landlords would be able to prepare in advance for significant retrofitting.

“While the Government’s energy price guarantee is a welcome support for the time being, it is not enough to protect people living in the least energy efficient homes from astronomical price increases, with some social tenants losing as much as two months’ pay on energy costs and forced to make impossibly difficult decisions – like risking going into debt – to afford basic living costs,” said chief executive Kate Henderson.