Energy affordability is now a critical problem, due to the large increase in gas prices, and therefore also electricity prices, following the Russian invasion of the Ukraine in 2022. The policy changes announced by the UK Government in response understandably focused on measures that could be quickly adopted – limiting price increases, and to a lesser extent supporting incomes.| CREDS
Strong energy demand reduction policies are needed to meet the challenge of net-zero emissions by 2050; current policies and funding levels are insufficient [1, 2, 3]. New policy is needed in a number of areas including new build regulations, support for building retrofit, active and public transport and material resource efficiency.| CREDS
There is a significant resource of untapped energy-saving opportunities in UK homes. Our estimates suggest a technical potential exceeding 50% and a cost-effective potential exceeding 25% by 2035. The majority of the long-term potential comes from moving to high-efficiency heating systems, rather than from insulation [1, 2].| CREDS