UK trails behind European countries in upgrading homes to reduce energy bills and tackle the climate crisis.

This is according to a paper from Imperial College London revealing that Germany, France, Sweden, Norway, Italy and the Netherlands have been rolling out multiple programmes and incentives to reduce residents’ energy consumption and costs.

The UK government is falling behind in helping people to conserve energy, leaving Brits living in some of the least efficient housing in Europe and compounding the energy and cost of living crises.

Lead author Dr Salvador Acha, from Imperial said: “Studies show the UK’s 28.6 million homes are among the least energy efficient in Europe and lose heat up to three times faster than on the continent, making people poorer and colder.”

He further advised that insulating the UK’s homes would reduce the amount of energy we need to heat them. Well-insulated homes leave more money in people’s pockets, keep them warm, well and comfortable and less worried about paying their bills.