United Kingdom
Energy inefficient homes
Key points
- The primary measure used in England to measure the energy efficiency of homes is the Standard Assessment Procedure (SAP) rating which takes into account factors such as property type, construction materials, insulation and the efficiency of heating systems.
- Using this standard, one in ten homes in England in 2007 were classified as very energy inefficient. This is much lower than the proportion a decade earlier, when it was one in six.
- The proportion of dwellings which are very energy inefficient has been declining for all types of tenure, but most sharply in the social rented sector. As a result, the proportion of social housing that is now very energy inefficient (4%) is much lower than that in either private rented housing (14%) or owner occupation (9%). By contrast, a decade ago, the proportion of social housing that was very energy inefficient was similar to that in owner occupation (both 15-16%).
- Three-quarters of homes which are very energy inefficient are owner-occupied and a further fifth are private rented.
- For any given tenure, the proportion of homes which are very energy inefficient does not vary much by level of income (after deducting housing costs). So, for example, private renters on both below-average and above-average incomes are much more likely to live in a very energy inefficient home than those on below-average incomes in either owner occupation or social rented accommodation.
- The proportion of homes which are very energy inefficient is higher in the South West than elsewhere in England: 14% compared to 6% in London and the North East.
- The proportion of dwellings which are very energy inefficient is much higher in the most rural areas: 50% compared to 25% in village centres and less than 10% in urban areas.
Graph 1: Over time
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Graph 2: By tenure
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Graph 3: By income
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Graph 4: By region
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Graph 5: By type of area
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Why this indicator was originally chosen
People who live in energy inefficient homes either have to pay more to keep their homes warm or have to live at a temperature below that considered to be ideal.
Definitions and data sources
The first graph shows the proportion of households deemed to be 'very energy inefficient', with the data shown separately by tenure.
The second graph shows, for the latest year, the shares of very energy inefficient homes in each tenure.
The third graph shows how the proportion of homes that are very energy inefficient varies by the income and tenure of the household. Note that the allocation of households to below-average and above-average incomes uses 'equivalised household income' after deducting housing costs, which means that the household incomes have been adjusted to put them on a like-for-like basis given the size and composition of the households. This means that the results are somewhat different than those in some other publications which use either unadjusted household incomes or incomes before deducting housing costs.
The fourth graph shows how the proportion of homes that are very energy inefficient varies by region.
The fifth graph shows how the proportion of homes that are very energy inefficient varies by type of area using a six-way classification of area type defined by the Department of Communities and Local Government (DCLG), namely: city centre, other urban centre, suburban residential, rural residential, village centre, and the most rural areas. In the graph, the first two of these classifications are grouped together under 'cities and towns'.
To improve their statistical reliability, the data in the fourth and fifth graphs is the average for the latest three years. Such averaging is not possible in the third graph as the only incomes available prior to 2006 were before deducting housing costs.
The energy efficiency of a home is measured using something called the 'Standard Assessment Procedure' (SAP) rating. SAP ratings range from 0 to 100, with the higher the rating the more energy efficient the home. Following advice from DCLG, the threshold used to define 'very energy inefficient' homes is those which have a SAP rating of less than 30. Note that in 2005 DCLG made some technical changes to how it calculated the SAP ratings and, as a result, the data is somewhat different than previously published figures. The detailed arithmetic for calculating the SAP rating for a particular home is complex but is discussed in the following document published on behalf of DEFRA: The Government's SAP for energy rating of dwellings.
The data source for all the graphs is the English House Condition Survey (EHCS) and relates to England.
Overall adequacy of the indicator: medium. EHCS is a well-established, regular government survey, designed to be nationally representative but there is no direct link with the subject of poverty and social exclusion.
External links
- For a wide-ranging discussion of all aspects of housing, including its links with poverty, see the 2006 Joseph Rowntree Foundation report entitled Housing and neighbourhoods monitor.
- See the Joseph Rowntree Foundation report entitled Cold comfort: The social and environmental determinants of excess winter deaths in England.
- See Imperial College research on the links between poor housing and poor health.
- See the Energy Saving Trust report entitled Health impact evaluation of Warm Front.
- See the section of the Department of Communities and Local Government's website on the state of English house conditions.
- See the ofgem 2005 social action strategy.
- See the National Energy Action site.
- See the eaga partnership site.
Relevant 2007 Public Service Agreements
Overall aim: Increase long-term housing supply and affordability
Lead department
Department for Communities and Local Government
Official national targets
Increase the number of net additional homes provided per annum to 240,000 by 2016.
Increase the number of gross affordable homes provided per annum to 70,000 by 2010-11 including 45,000 social homes.
Halve the number of households in temporary accommodation to 50,500 households by 2010.
By March 2011, 80% of local planning authorities to have adopted the necessary Development Plan Documents, in accordance with their agreed Local Development Scheme.
Other indicators of progress
Trends in affordability.
Efficiency rating of new homes.
Previous 2004 targets
By 2010, bring all social housing into decent condition with most of this improvement taking place in deprived areas, and for vulnerable households in the private sector, including families with children, increase the proportion who live in homes that are in decent condition.
Eliminate fuel poverty in vulnerable households in England by 2010 in line with the Government's Fuel Poverty Strategy objective Joint with the department for Trade and Industry.
Relevant government policies
The numbers
Graph 1
| Year | Private rented | Social rented | Owner occupied | All tenures |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1996 | 29% | 15% | 16% | 17% |
| 2001 | 23% | 8% | 12% | 13% |
| 2003 | 20% | 7% | 12% | 12% |
| 2004 | 17% | 5% | 11% | 11% |
| 2005 | 16% | 4% | 11% | 10% |
| 2006 | 16% | 3% | 10% | 10% |
| 2007 | 14% | 4% | 9% | 9% |
Graph 2
| Millions | ||
|---|---|---|
| Private rented | Social rented | Owner occupied |
| 0.4M | 0.1M | 1.4M |
Graph 3
| Household income | Private rented | Social rented | Owner occupied |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below-average incomes | 15% | 3% | 10% |
| Above-average incomes | 15% | 3% | 9% |
Graph 4
| East | 10% |
|---|---|
| East Midlands | 10% |
| London | 6% |
| North East | 6% |
| North West | 8% |
| South East | 10% |
| South West | 14% |
| West Midlands | 11% |
| Yorkshire and The Humber | 9% |
Graph 5
| Cities and towns | 8% |
|---|---|
| Suburban | 6% |
| Rural residential | 13% |
| Village centres | 23% |
| Rural | 50% |