New research from the Skipton Group has highlighted a gap in home efficiency knowledge and awareness.

The study found that millions of homeowners wrongly believe their property is energy efficient as data shows 59% of homes have a poor EPC rating. In addition to this, two-thirds are unaware of what the EPC (Energy performance certificate) rating of their home is, and a further 57% are unsure what EPC even means.

The research highlighted how one of the biggest gaps in understanding is how people perceive their household waste. 23% of people said they feel very guilty about throwing away food, however, only 14% felt guilty about leaving an appliance on stand-by or a light on (18%). Over the course of a year these two simple household habit changes could save up to £2,328.93.

The Skipton Group is taking home energy efficiency into its own hands, and as part of its commitment to making Britain’s homes greener, has announced that the building society in partnership with Vibrant (which is also part of the Skipton Group) is extending its free EPC Plus report offering to all of its 1.1 million members.

All Skipton Building Society’s mortgage and savings customers who own their own home, can now register to have a free EPC Plus inspection carried out on their home – with a free report provided bespoke to their property. As a customer owned organisation, where profits are not generated for shareholder benefit, Skipton Group is prepared to reinvest some of its profits to support its members and help green homes across the nation over the coming months and years.

Stuart Haire, Skipton group chief executive, said: “As the new group chief executive, I am proud that we are re-investing some of our profits over the next few years as part of our commitment to helping make Britain’s homes greener.

“At the Skipton Group we want to take a leading role in financing the acceleration of greener UK homes and we know that the rising cost of living and energy bills are at the forefront of many homeowners’ minds. By enabling businesses across the Skipton Group to work together in this way we can tackle key issues impacting homeowners. By expanding the free EPC Plus offering to all of Skipton Building Society’s 1.1 million members, this is just another step in our commitment to greening homes across the UK and aiding energy efficiency awareness.

“Ultimately, this will help Skipton’s members to save money on their household bills and enable them to take their first step to greening their homes.”

Recent figures from the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities reveal that nearly 14 million households – 59% of domestic properties – have an EPC rating between D and G, meaning a large portion of the population is vulnerable to higher bills. As the cost-of-living crisis causes many households to struggle under the weight of energy price hikes, increasing household energy efficiency is becoming a top priority. However, upon learning about EPC ratings, 84% of all the homeowners polled estimate theirs would be C or above.

A recent shift in public awareness of energy waste as a result of an increase in news coverage was also revealed in the survey of 2,000 British homeowners. However, while 72% of homeowners said they have become more aware of how much waste they are producing as a result of the news, a sizable proportion (45%) admit to not paying close attention to sources of energy loss within their property.

The free EPC Plus report is the first of its kind, going one step further than a traditional EPC report. It provides each homeowner not only with the current energy efficiency rating of their home, and what the home’s potential EPC rating could be too. But it also includes a bespoke guide on how the homeowner can achieve this, how much it could reduce their energy bills by, and signposts to sources of funding potentially available. It also estimates the tonnes of carbon produced by the household.

Haire added: “We understand that making any upgrades to the home can be a significant financial undertaking. For that reason, the reports also include details of any government-funded schemes available through local authorities and installers that customers are eligible for. The qualifying funding can be used towards the recommended upgrade works listed within their bespoke EPC Plus report.”