Elderly & Disabled living in Council homes’ which are not energy efficient.

At the full council meeting on 26 February, Cllr Rebecca Shoob (Green), Cabinet Member for Housing (pictured), announced that 73.7% of the Council’s homes have achieved an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) rating of C or above.

An EPC is a vital document that assesses a property’s energy efficiency, detailing its environmental impact in terms of CO2 emissions and the estimated costs of heating and lighting. Ratings range from A (most efficient) to G (least efficient). The certificate also provides recommendations for improving energy efficiency and outlines potential energy ratings if these improvements are implemented. In the UK, EPCs are mandatory when buying, selling, or renting a property and remain valid for up to 10 years.

The Council owns and manages 16 Independent Living Scheme (ILS) accommodation facilities across the district. These facilities are specifically designed to support older residents (aged 60 and above) and disabled individuals, enabling them to live independently.

However, an analysis of all 16 properties using the publicly available EPC Register revealed concerning data regarding homes with EPC ratings below C and those with expired certificates.

NB: A few sites have communal boilers

Close to one in five ILS accommodation homes have an EPC below C and nearly half of them have expired EPCs, according the public EPC register data.

Homes with EPC ratings below C are significantly more expensive to heat. For example those who have an EPC rating of D means the are probably paying about £909 per year more than the best performing comparable homes. That’s around £76 per month. For those with an ECP of E; means tenants are probably paying about £1,208 per year more than the best performing comparable homes. That’s around £101 per month. And for those with an F rating are probably paying about £1428 per year more than the best performing comparable homes. That’s around £119 per month.

Of course, there are Tenants living in such properties, so they must allocate a larger portion of their income to cover heating costs, as these homes are less energy-efficient compared to those rated C or above. This issue is particularly pressing given the recent announcement of another energy price hike effective from 1 April, alongside increases in Council tax and council home rents. For ILS residents, many of whom are elderly or disabled, these rising costs will further strain their budgets, leaving them with less disposable income to keep their homes warm.

For ILS residents aged 60 and above or living with disabilities, the winter’s cost-of-living crisis has underscored the precariousness of something as fundamental as staying warm and safe in their own homes. Many mayhave been forced to heat their homes only to the extent they can afford, rather than to a level that ensures their comfort and well-being. Meanwhile, those responsible for ensuring these homes meet energy efficiency standards remain comfortably insulated from the consequences of their inaction.

It is deeply concerning that the Council can allocate substantial loans to entities like Oportunitas and Otterpool, while elderly and disabled residents continue to suffer in poorly insulated homes. The promise of future improvements offers little solace to those struggling to stay warm today.

The stakes are high. According to the Centre for Ageing Better, approximately 9,000 people die annually in England and Wales due to cold homes—an average of 24 deaths per day. These statistics highlight the urgent need for action to improve energy efficiency in council housing.

Cllr Shoob (Green) highlighted that since September 2022, £8.2 million has been invested in upgrading the Council’s worst-performing homes to EPC-C or above. However, it is worth noting that this initiative began under the tenure of Cllr David Godfrey (Con), the previous Cabinet Member for Housing (pictured) in David Monk’s administration.

Despite this progress, around 1,200 council homes still require upgrades to meet the EPC-C standard. These properties continue to emit higher levels of CO2 compared to more energy-efficient homes, contributing thousands of tonnes of unnecessary carbon emissions into the environment. While the Council is constrained by financial limitations, one must question whether investing in the well-being of elderly and disabled residents—ensuring they can live in warm, energy-efficient homes—should take precedence over funding ventures like Oportunitas and Otterpool, which have yet to demonstrate profitability.

As always we’ll let to think about that.

The Shepway Vox Team

The Velvet Voices of Voxatiousness