The UK government is under increasing pressure from political parties and research groups to increase investments in home insulation, as assessments show that it could save billions in energy costs.

The Institute of Public Policy Research (IPPR) has drawn up a 28-year plan - at an annual cost of £7bn - to deliver energy-saving domestic upgrades across the country in a bid to ease the strain on people’s wallets and the environment. They claim the move is “uniquely placed” to become “the cornerstone of the government’s levelling-up strategy in England”. 

The IPPR said that all of England’s 24 million homes need upgrading, putting the country “far behind” its European neighbours, such as Germany and France.

According to the think tank, investing in its proposals for a multibillion-pound retrofitting programme could save average households £430 per year when energy bills are capped at £2,500 this autumn, and sustain more than 1.2 million direct jobs and 1...