Energy inefficiency is closely linked to fuel poverty, and those living in inefficient homes tend to be those who can least afford to pay higher heating costs. The Stock Condition Study states that government data indicates that in 2022, 14.4% of households in Cumberland lived in fuel poverty. This is above the average figure for both England and the North-West.
We have seen many challenges in prior schemes for retrofitting homes, particularly in Cumberland where we have a high proportion of ‘difficult-to-treat’ homes. In Cumberland, 25% of housing stock was built before 1900 and over 50% was built before 1939. These older properties are challenging due to their construction being unsuitable for some types of measures or would require a higher cost to remedy than the schemes can allow, and other factors such as damp, asbestos, electrics and roof condition can add further difficulty to installations.
Properties that are in conservation areas or areas of outstanding natural beaty, or that are listed buildings or park homes can also mean the types of measures available is reduced due to planning restrictions, or not viable under the funding and cost caps. Additionally, for private sector homes, the owners may not always want the measures offered for a variety of reasons.
Table 14: percentage of dwellings by age and SAP score
| Property age | A | B | C | D | E | F | G |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pre 1900 | 0 | 0.2 | 7 | 39.1 | 31.5 | 14.9 | 7.2 |
| 1900 to 1949 | 0 | 0.2 | 16.5 | 53.6 | 21.6 | 5.8 | 2.2 |
| 1950 to 1975 | 0 | 0.8 | 24.2 | 56.9 | 13.5 | 3.6 | 0.9 |
| 1976 to 1990 | 0.1 | 1.1 | 40.3 | 46 | 10.4 | 1.9 | 0.3 |
| 1991 to 2002 | 0.1 | 1.7 | 45.5 | 45.1 | 6.4 | 1 | 0.2 |
| 2003 to 2011 | 0.4 | 4.9 | 73.2 | 18.6 | 2.7 | 0.2 | 0 |
| 2012 onwards | 2.5 | 83.3 | 12.9 | 1 | 0.3 | 0 | 0 |