{"id":865,"date":"2021-09-23T13:00:18","date_gmt":"2021-09-23T13:00:18","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.jointpublicissues.org.uk\/?p=11118"},"modified":"2021-09-23T13:00:18","modified_gmt":"2021-09-23T13:00:18","slug":"what-will-it-take-to-insulate-britain","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/standrewsurcrustington.org.uk\/?p=865","title":{"rendered":"What will it take to insulate Britain?"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/div>\n

News
\nover the last week<\/a> has drawn attention to environmental protestors blocking
\nroads in the south-east of England. The strategic blockages have been a huge
\nheadache to motorists going about their business, transporting parcels and
\nfood, or getting to work or the airport, and have led to at least 40 arrests of
\nprotestors.<\/p>\n

The UK government urged
\nprotests to cease<\/a>, saying, \u201cWe are investing \u00a31.3bn this year alone to
\nsupport people to install energy efficiency measures, and our upcoming Heat and
\nBuildings Strategy will set out how we decarbonise the nation\u2019s homes in a way
\nthat is fair, practical and affordable.\u201d<\/p>\n

Insulation across the nation<\/h2>\n

\u2018Insulate Britain\u2019 is the title that the campaigners have gone
\nwith, focusing on a slogan that puts practical action at the centre. They
\ndemand that firstly social housing by 2025 and then all housing by 2030 be
\ninsulated\/retrofitted for \u2018a just transition to fully decarbonise all parts of
\nthe society and economy\u2019. <\/p>\n

We talked about insulation as part of a \u2018Recovery
\nto Flourishing<\/a>\u2019 proposal in 2020, and certainly hold as much desire as the
\nprotestors and anyone else that all homes should be comfortable without costing
\nthe Earth. <\/p>\n

The cost of not insulating<\/h2>\n

It\u2019s no surprise that draughty homes that require lots of heating in colder months are expensive to run. It is also no surprise that people with the lowest incomes tend to live in the draughtiest houses<\/p>\n

There is some help towards heating bills; annual winter fuel payments<\/a> of between \u00a3100 and \u00a3300 are available to those who receive the State pension and some other benefits. Cold weather payments<\/a> of \u00a325 for seven-day periods of very cold weather may be offered to others who receive social security benefits such as Universal Credit. <\/p>\n

What an enormous difference it would make for those who currently
\ndepend on payments like these if their homes were easy and inexpensive to keep
\nwarm.<\/p>\n

Green homes<\/h2>\n

The UK government tried to make some commitments towards
\nthis goal with its Green Homes Grant last year, but when the scheme attracted only 10% of its
\nintended applicants<\/a>, the cash was allocated to local authorities to
\nadminister instead. Government changed the borrowing requirements for social
\nhousing providers to fund renovations and new builds. So has the can been
\nkicked down the road from national government to local government instead?
\nShould the \u2018Insulate Britain\u2019 crew be outside town halls instead of clogging
\nstrategic highways?<\/p>\n

There might well be a case for that thinking, but there is still much that can be done at national level. In Scotland, the Homes Acts 2001 and 2006<\/a>, in Wales the Homes (Wales) Act 2016<\/a> and in England, the Homes Act 2018<\/a> apply to private or council\/housing association rental properties regarding fitness for human habitation. But the housing sector is still poorly regulated when it comes to a minimum standard of energy efficiency. Property owners must produce an EPC<\/a> for prospective tenants (and buyers), but are still permitted to rent out energy-inefficient houses. Introducing effective regulation here would make an enormous difference to energy usage and reduce the impact of fuel poverty too.<\/p>\n

For the climate and the future<\/h2>\n

Better insulation in our homes is good news for individuals
\nand families but also for the planet. As the UK and other nations try to wean
\nthemselves off of fossil fuels for energy and heating, insulation in our homes
\nwill help us reach net zero carbon commitments.<\/p>\n

As our electricity supply comes increasingly from renewable sources,
\ninsulated homes will reduce the burden that this fossil-free energy used to heat
\nour living spaces places on the national grid, reducing the necessity for costly
\ninfrastructure development or the risk of power cuts and brownouts. The affluent
\nare already able to decide if they would like to add technology to their homes
\nfor local energy production and storage, ensuring tremendous energy resilience,
\nbut this might not ever be an attainable option for those experiencing poverty
\nor renting their home. Insulation is better for everyone.<\/p>\n

What can churches do?<\/h2>\n

The Church of England\u2019s \u2018Coming Home\u2019 report, published last
\nyear, recommended the development of \u2018a long-term, cross-party housing strategy
\nto improve the quality and sustainability of the existing stock and increase
\nthe supply of truly affordable new housing\u2019. Our churches must continue to
\namplify the voices of those who live in homes which are inadequate and unsafe.<\/p>\n

We must also continue to speak up for the Earth, those most
\nat risk due to climate catastrophe and future generations who will have to
\nadapt to a more challenging environment.<\/p>\n

Locally, can you and your church meet with councillors and
\nhousing departments to urge them to act? And will you engage your MP, MSP or MS
\nin the process to ensure that all homes will reach a minimum standard of energy
\nefficiency?<\/p>\n

More
\nthan Bricks and Mortar<\/a> (JPIT, 2019)<\/p>\n

Coming
\nHome<\/a> (Church of England, 2020)<\/p>\n

A note on non-violent direct action<\/h3>\n

The Joint Public Issues Team treads carefully when it comes
\nto non-violent direct action. We held
\na workshop<\/a> about it at our 2020 Conference and our histories as
\nnon-conformist denominations testify to the freedoms to protest we have been
\nafforded in the UK. You can read more about why it is important to us in our
\nbriefing on the Police,
\nCrimes, Sentencing and Courts Bill<\/a>. We encourage our supporters to make up
\ntheir own mind about how they take action, mindful of the complexities of
\nprotest (and how delicate the balance is between seeking public awareness and
\nattracting public ire and resistance). As a team, we also invest in
\nstrengthening other strategies for engagement within the halls of power at
\nWestminster, the Scottish Parliament and the Senedd in Wales.<\/p>\n

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News over the last week has drawn attention to environmental protestors blocking roads in the south-east of England. The strategic blockages have been a huge headache to motorists going about their business, transporting parcels and food, or getting to work … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-865","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-urc-news"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t