Retrofitting England鈥檚 homes with good insulation and heat pumps could play a key role in 鈥渓evelling up鈥 regions like the North, creating tens of thousands of jobs and knocking hundreds of pounds off household bills, a new report claims.
The IPPR think tank has drawn up a 28-year plan, at an annual cost of 拢7bn, to deliver energy-saving domestic upgrades across the country in a bid to ease the strain on people鈥檚 wallets and the environment. IPPR claims its plan would bes 鈥渦niquely placed鈥 to become 鈥渢he cornerstone of the Government鈥檚 levelling-up strategy in England鈥, as those communities with the highest demand for installers tend to be current or former industrial centres and coastal communities outside London and the South East.
The scheme could create more than 61,200 new direct roles in the North East, equivalent to more than 5% of the total job market in the region, IPPR said. 137,662 jobs could be created in Yorkshire and Humber, and 169,521 in the North West - both more than 4% of the jobs markets in those areas.
Read more: North East bids to create first low energy heating cluster
IPPR said that all of England鈥檚 24m homes need upgrading, putting the country 鈥渇ar behind鈥 European neighbours like Germany and France. The 海角视频 is currently installing less than a tenth of the measures needed in its 鈥渃old, damp and leaky鈥 housing stock to meet its net zero target, it said, with the pace of deployment required only increasing in the face of the 鈥渄ire鈥 energy price crisis.
The think tank said investing in its proposals for a multibillion pound retrofitting programme could save average households 拢430 per year when energy bills are capped at 拢2,500 this autumn, and sustain more than 1.2m direct jobs nationally and 1.5m indirect jobs by 2050.
Luke Murphy, head of the fair transition unit and associate director for the energy, climate, housing and infrastructure team at IPPR, said: 鈥淭he new Prime Minister and Chancellor have said they want to focus on growth. This report shows that a national retrofit programme can deliver jobs and growth right across the country, and deliver levelling up at the same time. It would also lower energy bills, reduce energy demand and our dependence on Putin, and lessen carbon emissions.
鈥淚t鈥檚 hard to think of another intervention that could deliver on so many objectives at the same time. It鈥檚 time the Government acted and invested to upgrade our nation鈥檚 homes making them warmer and more affordable. It鈥檚 a no-brainer.鈥
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