THE MP for Northwich says more than half the homes in council areas covering his constituency fail energy performance standards despite concerns around greenhouse gas emissions and rocketing bills.
Weaver Vale Labour MP Mike Amesbury called on Government to step up after telling parliament the UK’s aging housing stock was among the ‘leakiest’ in Europe as heat escapes too easily.
These days an energy performance certificate (EPC) must be allocated to a property when it is built, sold or let, taking into account insulation, boiler efficiency and even the type of lightbulbs.
The EPC scale is ranked from A-G, with A being most efficient and G the worst – a rating of C and above is recommended.
But Office for National Statistics figures reveal 56.84 per cent of homes with an EPC in the Cheshire West and Chester Council area are rated D-G.
The MP said: "Similarly dismal figures are repeated across the country.
"Government must step up.
"Retrofitting homes, and ensuring new homes are built to meet energy-efficient standards requires leadership and funding from the top.
"It’s one of the most important things we can do to meet our net zero commitments by 2050."
Energy efficiency standards brought in by the 2006 Labour Government were ditched by the Conservative-Lib Dem coalition, led by David Cameron, that should have taken effect in 2016.
Mr Amesbury commented: "Hundreds of thousands of homes should have been built to higher standards. Now these standards won’t come into play until 2025.
"This contributes to the dire situation on energy costs facing families in my constituency and across the nation, with bills projected to rise to an eye-watering £3,000 a year."
Labour has committed to upgrading 19 million homes as part of its Green New Deal to ensure they are energy efficient, warmer and cost less to heat – claiming households would save an average £400 a year.
The MP said modernising millions of homes would also give a boost to the economy.
He added: "The economic case for making homes green is clear.
"Even the Government’s less ambitious plans to upgrade homes and workplaces suggest 240,000 low carbon jobs could be supported by 2035."
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