Efficiency & Sustainability
Birmingham, Leeds and Cornwall have the most properties that need upgrading to a C EPC rating from the data analysed. Although there is a huge challenge ahead, there are many examples of local authorities across England that are aiming to drive up the performance of their housing stock including;
• West Midlands mayor Richard Parker has launched a £ 167m energy efficiency fund to upgrade up to 10,000 homes- The funding will be used to upgrade the“ oldest and coldest” social and privately owned homes in the region, the West Midlands Combined Authority( WMCA) said.
• Greater Manchester has developed a comprehensive energy plan across its 10 boroughs to achieve net zero by 2038, focusing on retrofitting existing homes to improve energy efficiency and reduce carbon emissions.
• Hammersmith & Fulham Council’ s Retrofit Program is aiming to retrofit its council homes to enhance energy efficiency. But these initiatives and the many other examples out there, combined, only scratch the surface.
BARRIERS TO IMPROVEMENTS REMAIN EMPHASISING THE IMPORTANCE OF COLLABORATION AND INNOVATIVE THINKING
The latest data from the ONS on energy-related home improvements found one in three adults still say cost is the reason why they don’ t consider investing in efficiency upgrades. Beth believes the home improvement industry, government, local authorities and market suppliers will need to come together to overcome the challenge ahead:“ As the data shows, we need a major collaborative effort to bring homes in England up to modern energy efficiency standards. Time will quickly tick away and with it, the challenge will only get harder to bring UK housing stock in line with 2050 Net Zero targets.”
Over 56 % of the total properties in England have below-average energy efficiency( D or below), presenting a major opportunity for the window and door industry to identify where to target retrofit projects and how they can optimise marketing to homeowners.
Eurocell is the leading UK manufacturer, distributor, and recycler of PVC-U windows, doors and building products with over 200 branches across the UK, and also offers a wide range of products for home renovations and new build projects under a single brand. This includes more than 10,000 products across garden rooms, extensions, decking, fencing, roofing, rainwater, interior and exterior cladding and much more.
METHODOLOGY
Eurocell analysed data from the Department of Levelling Up, Housing and Communities in March 2025- which contains EPC data for every household in England and Wales as of December 2024.
Eurocell broke this data down by the total number of properties per rating in England, of D or below- which totalled 14,198,486 properties. This figure was then adjusted down by 10 per cent to account for an estimated number of properties that aren’ t eligible to be upgraded to an EPC rating of C minimum- giving a total of 12,778,637. This figure was divided and broken down to provide a daily total of 1,358 and an hourly total of 57( figures rounded) properties that require energy-related upgrades.
www. eurocell. co. uk
With its headquarters in Alfreton, Derbyshire, Eurocell is at the forefront of the UK’ s PVC-U industry, leading the way in the manufacture, distribution, and recycling PVC-U windows, doors, conservatories, rooflights, roofing and roofline systems.
Alongside these, the home improvement specialist offers the widest range of products for home renovations and new build projects under a single brand with more than 10,000 products including garden rooms, extensions, decking, fencing and more.
It operates a network of more than 200 trade branches across the UK, where it serves over 40,000 tradespeople. Eurocell distributes its products through a vast network of window fabricators, housebuilder partners and specifiers, as well as to installers and direct to homeowners.
Eurocell’ s commitment to providing quality sustainable solutions sets it apart, with the largest PVC-U recycling operation in the UK. It operates a closed-loop recycling system, collecting, reprocessing, and utilising waste to create new products. In 2023 alone, Eurocell incorporated 16,700 tonnes of recycled PVC-U in its operations, with windows containing approximately 32 % recycled content.
CLEARVIEW-UK. COM MAY 2025
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