United for warm homes
Campbell Tickell is proud to support Friends of the Earth in the campaign for warm, sustainable homes for all
STRATEGY
Image: Istock
Issue 64 | February 2023
Soaring gas prices are causing misery for millions across the UK. Even with the UK government's price freeze and the £400 grant, the average energy bill almost doubled between October 2021 and October 2022. Some estimates suggest up to 6 million households will be in fuel poverty this winter.
Campbell Tickell is proud to be part of the solution by supporting environmental charity, Friends of the Earth.
Friends of the Earth is the world’s largest grassroots environmental campaigning organisation, bringing together a community of more than 2 million people across 75 countries dedicated to the protection of the natural world and the wellbeing of everyone in it.
The charity leads campaigns and legal cases, supports grassroots groups, provides resources and promotes solutions aimed at creating a cleaner, healthier, fairer world for everyone for today and generations to come.
Worsening crisis
While global energy prices are resulting in eye-watering bills, years of government neglect on home insulation has left us particularly vulnerable. The UK’s homes are the among the leakiest in Europe.
When we heat leaky homes, the warmth escapes through our walls, ceilings and floors, resulting in higher bills and wasted energy.
With more than 80% of UK homes dependent on gas for heat, our failed energy system is not only fuelling an energy bills crisis, but also worsening the climate crisis too.
Friends of the Earth’s research has identified the neighbourhoods worst impacted by soaring energy prices. There are almost 9,000 energy crisis hotspots across England and Wales. We want the government to guarantee everyone has a warm home that doesn’t cost the earth.
Thankfully, there are solutions we can push for.
“With more than 80% of UK homes dependent on gas for heat, our failed energy system is not only fuelling an energy bills crisis, but also worsening the climate crisis too.”
Friends of the Earth’s Warm Homes campaign is calling for:
1. Urgent additional financial support to keep people warm.
Even with the government’s price freeze, energy bills are still far too high for millions of us. As the price of food and other essentials continues to rise, too many people will be pushed into rationing their energy use this winter and living in cold homes. We need more targeted support to keep people warm and well.
2. A nationwide insulation programme.
Upgrading homes with insulation is the cheapest and easiest way to permanently reduce our bills. But most people can't afford it. We need governments across the UK to roll out an emergency programme of insulation and energy saving measures now, starting in neighbourhoods where fuel poverty is highest.
3. Permanent fixes to our failed energy system.
Our energy system currently prioritises massive fossil fuel company profits over meeting people’s basic needs. Everyone deserves a warm home, and there’s no good reason we can’t all have one. By powering our homes with cheap and clean renewables and guaranteeing everyone the energy they need to live comfortably, we can ensure no one is left in the cold.
