How efficient are UK homes?

Quick facts:

• The average EPC rating for UK homes is 68 [1]
• 56% of UK homes have an EPC rating of D or lower
• Just 0.4% of homes (99,000) have an EPC rating of A
• Milton Keynes ranks as the location where homes perform best, with 60% achieving C or above
• Blackpool ranks as the worst location for home energy performance, with 74% scoring D or below

As the whole of the UK looks to battle the rising costs of energy bills, one important factor that can determine how much your usage is is your home's Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) rating. Given to all properties, the EPC rating demonstrates how efficient your home is to heat and the better the rating, the less energy needed and therefore the lower the cost.

In light of this, UNCLE decided to look into data [2] on home EPC ratings to distinguish what the average is, which of the most populated UK areas [3] are the most energy efficient and which have the lowest ratings. We’ve also teamed up with an energy expert to find out what measures you can put in place to increase your EPC.

How UK homes perform in EPC ratings

When looking at the percentage of homes that have an energy performance rating of A, just 0.4% achieve the score - that’s less than 100,000 UK homes. The majority of homes (37%) fit into a D rating, scoring between 55-68, (coloured yellow on the certificate). 

Shockingly, at least 1.3 million UK homes are rated F or G. This indicates that the property has very poor energy efficiency. This could be due to a lack of insulation, old single-glazing windows or inefficient heating systems such as older boilers. 

How UK homes perform (grouped)

When looking at UK homes grouped, the majority fall into D-G energy performance bands. No doubt over time this will shift with the amount of newly built homes going up but perhaps there needs to be a change in focus in helping those with lower energy efficiency homes to save on bills.

The best areas for energy efficiency ratings

Ranking as the area with the most high-energy efficient homes is Milton Keynes. Just over 60% of homes in the city have an EPC rating of C or above. This is likely down to the town having an influx of newly built homes over the past 10 years, with new developments continuing as plans for a further 3,500 homes have been proposed. 

In second place is Peterborough, with 55% of homes achieving a C or above rating. This is then followed by the City of Westminster at 54%.

Data in table form:

The worst areas for energy efficiency ratings

When looking at the worst-rated areas, Blackpool has an alarmingly high number of low energy-efficient homes with nearly 75% being rated D to G. For those in the area who are perhaps struggling to pay their energy bills due to high usage, it could be worth checking your current EPC rating. If it does fall into the D to G category, this could be contributing greatly to higher bills.  

Following Blackpool are cities Southend-on-Sea and Bradford, both with more than two-thirds of homes having D to G ratings. 

When taking a magnifying glass to assess just how many have the lowest rating of G, data shows that Blackpool has 2,207 homes, Southend-on-Sea has 900 and Bradford has 4,434. 

Data in table form:

How to improve your EPC rating

To help consumers improve their EPC ratings in the hopes of lowering their energy bills, we teamed up with Luke Wooffindin at Safe Guard Plumbing, who has provided his top ways to become more energy efficient and at what cost. 

“One of the important considerations when it comes to plumbing that can drastically improve the Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) rating of a house is changing an old non-condensing boiler for a high-efficiency condensing boiler.

“Most modern boilers operate above 90% efficiency, while an old model could be working well at only 60% to 70% efficiency. In terms of cost, the boiler itself might run anywhere from £1,500 to £2,500, and installation can be another added cost of £500-£1,500, depending on whether pipework needs updating or if it's a combi-combi swap or more complex system change.”

Luke continues to share his advice, saying how beneficial smart heating can be. “Smart heading controls are also really solid investments. A Nest or Hive thermostat allows homeowners to better schedule and control their heating, and when put in individual thermostatic radiator valves, each room can be regulated according to need.

“EPC assessors look favourably upon zoned heating controls, and these upgrades typically cost around £250 to £400 for the smart thermostat and another £20-40 per TRV.

“Another area typically ignored is pipe insulation. Lagging the hot water and heating pipes helps keep heat, especially in lofts, garages, or outer walls - retaining heat in the system. This is also pretty cost-effective: £2 to £5 per meter for pipe insulation, and an average house may need roughly 20 to 30 meters (60 to 100 feet). It really is quite small for a cost but the returns are good when looked at in terms of energy retained.”

Methodology

Using data from the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, UNCLE found the number of homes with each recorded EPC rating. Our seed list of areas was made up of the top 30 most populated cities, removing London, London boroughs and Scottish cities due to a lack of available data.

Sources

[1] https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/housing/articles/energyefficiencyofhousinginenglandandwales/2024 

[2] https://epc.opendatacommunities.org/domestic/search [3] https://worldpopulationreview.com/cities/united-kingdom