After years of observation and research into the cost of living, fuel poverty, retrofitting and housing developments in the UK, we’ve created a white paper that outlines our solutions to the issues we discovered in our research. The white paper discusses the purpose and intent of Healthy Homes Solutions (HHS), as well as the facts and statistics that have led us to developing our ideas.
The white paper, titled Step change to net zero: a plan for U.K. householders, explains how we believe the government AND householders can both make small, simple changes to bring down energy costs, fight fuel poverty and reduce carbon emissions.
Our main solution for homeowners is our “6 low-cost interventions”, consisting of 6 cost-effective products that can help vulnerable homes to reduce their energy bills. These include digital radiator valves, radiator reflector foil, central heating performance enhancement additives, energy efficient LED light bulbs and water saving products like shower timers and universal plugs. The goal is for the small, individual, daily savings from these products to add up over time to create huge savings on cash and carbon for everyone.
These interventions are a better alternative to the government’s solution to fight fuel poverty, the £150 council tax rebate declared by then Chancellor, Rishi Sunak. This is because of the fact that the rebate will only serve as a short-term solution and will not adequately address the fundamental problems faced by those in fuel poverty – rising energy costs and poor housing.
As far as government intervention goes, we believe there is much more they can do to foster positive change. One solution we have suggested entails providing an incentive for UK homeowners to reduce their carbon footprint, by offering them free LED bulbs in exchange for the outdated, inefficient, legacy bulbs they are still using in their homes, as it was estimated by the AMA Research Lighting Market Report in 2020 that only 14% of UK household lights are LEDs.
All in all we believe that the answer to climate change and our net zero goals must lie in vast societal change – the end of fossil fuels to heat our homes and the renovation of those homes to be warm, dry, ventilated and energy efficient. The white paper concludes by restating the main goals of Healthy Homes Solutions:
Achieving net zero and creating healthier homes for all.
Download our White Paper here.
