Britain's homes are among the draughtiest in Europe, leading to high heating bills and significant carbon emissions. The UK's residential and non-residential properties contribute to 17% of the nation's total carbon emissions, highlighting the urgent need for improved energy efficiency. While the government has committed to building 1.5 million new homes, ensuring these meet high-efficiency standards is crucial to avoid future retrofitting.

Previous energy efficiency schemes have fallen short of their targets, emphasising the need for more effective approaches. Long-term, devolved funding to local authorities could enable better planning and delivery of retrofit projects. Implementing national minimum energy efficiency standards for new homes and updating the outdated EPC rating system are essential steps forward. Place-based approaches can help identify areas of greatest need and coordinate the necessary skills and businesses to improve home energy efficiency across the UK.