UK must insulate homes or face a worse energy crisis in 2023, say experts

theguardian.com:

Britain will be plunged into an even worse energy crisis in a year’s time without an immediate plan to improve leaky homes and dramatically reduce demand for gas, ministers have been warned.

The UK ranks among the worst in Europe for the energy efficiency of its homes, according to new research outlining an urgent need to reduce the amount of heat being wasted. Experts are warning that while Liz Truss has bought the government time with her £100bn-plus package to cap energy bills, similarly expensive and unsustainable schemes will be needed unless substantial plans are introduced to improve homes and reduce demand.

Truss’s energy package, a measure likely to define her premiership, is already under pressure for a lack of detail. There is further concern that additional help will need to be targeted at the poorest households, while the relatively short-term assistance handed to businesses will also be raised by business groups in the coming weeks.

While Truss pointed to fracking and the expansion of North Sea fossil fuels as a way of increasing the supply of energy, she has already been warned that this will fail to dent prices – while damaging Britain’s commitment to tackling the climate crisis. Instead, she is being urged to copy successful policies in Germany and elsewhere to improve the energy efficiency of the UK’s houses to reduce demand.

Research from the Institute for Government (IfG) found the UK scored worse than countries right across Europe with a range of climates in terms of the energy efficiency of its homes. Citing analysis of a 2020 study, it found that a UK home with an indoor temperature of 20C and an outside temperature of 0C lost on average 3C after five hours – up to three times as much as homes in