UK homes lose heat significantly faster than their European neighbours, even when factoring in outside temperature, a new study by intelligent home climate management company tado° has found.
The study, conducted between Dec 2019 and Jan 2020 in 80,000 homes, found that a UK home with an indoor temperature of 20°C and an outside temperature of 0°C loses on average 3°C after five hours.
Compared with some Western European neighbours such as Germany, UK homes are losing heat up to three times as fast.
This in turn results in British heating systems having to work harder to maintain the temperature.
The UK has the oldest housing stock in comparison to EU Member States with approximately 38% of its homes dating from before 1946, compared to 24% for Germany and Sweden.
There are also regional differences in government programs to financially support retrofitting improved home insulation and energy efficiency in homes.
tado° Co-founder & CPO Christian Deilmann commented on the news: “The UK is a leader in smart technology adoption but is lagging behind Europe when it comes to energy-efficient homes.
“The good news is that there are lots of great solutions available and a huge opportunity for energy savings to be made.”
Home insulation and energy efficiency are key topics not just for homeowners and tenants but also for the government if it is to meet its ambitious CO2 reduction targets.
Homes account for approximately 15% of the UK’s greenhouse gas emissions through their use of oil & gas for heating and hot water.
These emissions need to be cut significantly by 2030 in order to help meet the UK’s legally binding climate goals, according to the Committee on Climate Change.
Chris Lovatt, Managing Director of E.ON UK’s Residential business, added: “We know the standard of housing in the UK needs to drastically improve if we’re going to meet our net zero by 2050 climate change target.
“On an individual level, there are many ways we can ensure our homes are as energy efficient as possible and we offer a range of solutions to help meet people’s differing needs.
“Simple steps such as ensuring lofts and walls are well insulated, ensuring you have a smart meter installed, an energy efficient boiler, and investing in other smart technologies can help you cut energy waste and enable you to better manage your home energy use.
“We also provide 3.4 million customers’ homes across Britain with electricity backed by 100% renewable sources as standard, at no extra cost, further demonstrating our commitment to helping build a smarter and more sustainable future.”
Less than 2 percent of UK homes have top energy-efficiency ratings.
New homes built to a zero carbon homes standard can save over £200 a year on their energy bills.
Furthermore, new technology like smart thermostats can make significant additional energy savings by ensuring that homes and rooms are only heated when they are occupied, as well as adapting to the weather and reducing heat when open windows are detected.
