After new research claimed that nearly two thirds of UK homes are failing to meet long-term energy efficiency targets, local campaigner Debbie Caplin has called for more work by local social landlords and Wirral Council.
A survey by the BBC claimed that more than 12 million homes fall below the C grade on Energy Performance Certificates (EPCs) graded from A-G, meaning householders spend more on energy bills and pump tonnes more CO2 into the atmosphere than necessary.
Debbie said: "This new survey shows that the government needs to go much further and faster to improve the energy performance of homes but we also need large, multi million social landlords and the Town Hall to play their part too.
EPCs measure the efficiency of a house by looking at how well a property is insulated, glazed, or uses alternative measures to reduce energy use. Residents can check the EPC rating of their homes via this link, and each report may also list ways in which energy, and money, could be saved.
There is some good news - since 2010, the number of people in 'fuel poverty' in the Wallasey Constituency has dropped by a quarter - more than 2,000 are no longer in fuel poverty since Labour lost power. The figures were revealed in a question asked in the House of Commons. The figures do reveal that 15% of people are still struggling to heat their homes.
The government had set a target to upgrade as many homes to grade C by 2035 "where practical, cost-effective and affordable", and for all fuel poor households, and as many rented homes as possible, to reach the same standard by 2030.
The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy said it was investing more than £6bn towards those upgrades and it was also exploring how to halve the cost of retrofitting properties and investing over £320m into helping heat homes with lower carbon alternatives, such as heat networks and heat pumps.
Following changes introduced by the Conservatives, from April landlords cannot let a rental flat or house in a new tenancy or a renewal unless the property has a grade of E or higher.
