Greenpeace, the independent global campaigner, has reportedly threatened to file a lawsuit against the British government after it was revealed that a target to raise millions of struggling homes out of fuel poverty is most likely to be missed.
As per the environmental campaign group, the administration's initiatives to improve residential energy efficiency will benefit fewer than 6% of fuel-poor families by 2030.
In order to decrease fuel poverty, which occurs when people can't afford to heat their homes adequately, legislation was implemented in 2014.
By the end of 2030, ministers promised to upgrade as many fuel-inefficient homes in England as is reasonably practical to a minimum energy efficiency rating of C.
Energy performance certificates (EPCs), which range from A, the most efficient, to G, the least efficient, were implemented in 2007 to evaluate energy efficiency, encompassing heating, insulation, and lighting.
However, according to government data obtained through a freedom of information request, existing measures would only result in a 12% decrease in the proportion of households experiencing fuel poverty from 2020 until 2030.
The request also showed that the government is using 2020 data that was gathered prior to the energy crisis, which is out of date. Millions of households are now living in fuel poverty as a result of the sharp rise in wholesale energy prices since 2021.
According to National Energy Action, there are currently 6.7 million fuel-poor homes in the U.K., a number that has nearly doubled since 2020. This implies that by 2030, merely 5.8% of fuel-poor families would have received upgrades, leaving roughly 95% of homes in this situation.
In a letter to the secretary of energy security, Grant Shapps, Greenpeace threatened legal action until the government agreed to evaluate its plan to combat fuel poverty and outline how it will achieve its goals.
For the unversed, the U.K. has the least energy-efficient homes in Western Europe, which implies that low-income households must pay more for heating. Additionally, it indicates that housing directly contributes to 14% of the UK's overall greenhouse gas emissions, aggravating the global warming situation.
Source credit: https://www.theguardian.com/society/2023/feb/09/greenpeace-threatens-legal-action-over-uk-failure-to-meet-fuel-poverty-targets