MPs demand 'war effort' to insulate cold houses and wean UK off fossil fuels

Commons Environmental Audit Committee slams Tories for missing 'crucial window' to speed up home renovations in 2022's hottest regions - and warns of "gaps"'

The Conservatives have "missed a crucial window of opportunity" to improve the energy efficiency of homes (

Image: In pictures via Getty Images)

A nationwide 'war effort' mobilization is needed to accelerate the transition from fossil fuels, insulate homes and tackle soaring energy costs, MPs warn today.

In a cross-party report, the Commons Environmental Audit Committee says the UK remains dependent on oil, gas and coal for 78% of its energy needs.

This reliance, he warns, has left the UK exposed to the biggest global fossil fuel price shock since the 1970s after Russia's brutal invasion of Ukraine.

While welcoming the government's temporary cap on average household energy bills, the report says there are 'significant gaps' in No10's strategy.

MPs say: 'To ensure real energy security, the strategy should have put much more emphasis on energy saving measures.

The Conservatives “missed a crucial window of opportunity” to accelerate energy efficiency installations in the warmer months of 2022, it adds.

Tory MP Philip Dunne chairs the Environmental Audit Committee (

Picture:

Richard Townshend Photography)

He also points out that in England alone, more than 13 million homes are below the C energy rating, with just 100,000 upgrades installed in 2021.

MPs urge government to install energy efficiency upgrades in one million homes a year by 2025 and increase to 2.5 million properties by 2030.

>

Committee chairman and former Conservative minister Philip Dunne MP said: 'To reduce the UK's demand for fossil fuels, we need to stop consuming more than we need.

"We need to fix our leaky housing stock, which is a major contributor to greenhouse gas emissions and wastes our constituents' hard-earned money: we need to make homes warmer and retain heat longer. a long time."

The report also calls for ambitious targets for the deployment of onshore wind and tidal energy, and recommends that ministers set an end date for national oil and gas licensing.

Mr. Dunne added: "Bold action is needed now. Last year, with Russian aggression in Europe choking off energy supplies...