A new study by rental specialists, UNCLE, has found that over half of UK homes have an EPC rating of D or below, highlighting the significant challenge faced in retrofitting the country’s housing stock.
UNCLE looked at data across the 30 most populated cities in the UK to determine which are home to the best EPC ratings and which are the worst.
It found that 56% of UK homes had an EPC rating of D or lower, with the average EPC rating score standing at 68. Just 0.4% of homes (99,000) have an EPC rating of A.
Out of the 30 areas in the study, Milton Keynes had the best-performing homes, with over 60% achieving C or above. UNCLE suggests this is due to the town seeing an influx of newly built homes over the past 10 years, with new developments continuing as plans for a further 3,500 homes have been proposed.
Peterborough was the second best-performing location with 55.6% of homes scoring C and above, while the City of Westminster had 54.5%.
Conversely, Blackpool ranked as the worst location for energy performance, with 74.1% of houses scoring an EPC rating of D or below. Southend-on-Sea saw almost seven out of ten homes score between D and G, while Bradford recorded 68.8%.
Recent research by the UK’s Construction Leadership Council estimated that it would take 20 years and cost around £525billion to retrofit the country’s 29 million homes. The Office for National Statistics also found that the age of a property is the leading factor in determining its energy efficiency, with data showing that just 19% of homes in England built before 1929 are EPC C-rated. On a wider level, further research shows that the UK has the highest proportion of old housing stock in Europe, with 38% of homes built before 1946 and 78% built before 1980.
