Industry calculations show that the government’s home insulation scheme would take an estimated 190 years to upgrade the energy efficiency of UK housing stock.

Additionally, it would take a further 300 years to meet the government’s own targets to reduce fuel poverty.

The Great British Insulation Scheme, aimed at insulating 300,000 homes annually for the next three years, has received criticism for its limited scope in improving the insulation of the 19 million UK homes in need of it.

The UK Business Council for Sustainable Development has calculated that at this pace, the scheme would require almost 200 years to upgrade all homes in need of insulation.

Fuel poverty charity National Energy Action estimates that the scheme would need another 100 years to meet the government’s own targets for improving energy efficiency in fuel-poor households in England alone.

Jason Longhurst, Chair of the UK Business Council for Sustainable Development, commented on the urgency of the situation: “We simply don’t have that long to act”.