Demand an upgrade

This petition is now closed – thanks to everyone who took part.

Dear Prime Minister,

We are urgently calling on you to support the Great Homes Upgrade ahead of your government’s upcoming autumn budget.

Your presidency of COP26 is fast approaching and there is simply no credible pathway to meeting Britain’s targets to net zero without retrofitting our nation’s homes.

Across the country, nearly 19 million homes are in need of upgrading as they are draughty, cold and rely on fossil fuels to heat them. This is made even worse this winter as families struggle with the rise in energy prices.

Upgrading our homes would mean they stay warmer and don’t rely on fossil fuels while at the same time creating millions of secure, well-paid, long-term jobs.

This requires a national mission. Your government has the opportunity to create warmer homes for a cooler planet. 65% of people in the UK supporting large scale government investment. That’s why we’re calling on you to back the Great Homes Upgrade.

The Great Homes Upgrade is a package of measures, to be realised in the government’s autumn budget and the upcoming heat and building strategy, to put the UK on a rapid and credible pathway to retrofitting 7 million homes by 2025 and almost 19 million by 2030:

1. Increase government investment by £11.7bn
   Spend an additional £7bn on home insulation and £4.7bn on heat pumps during the course of this parliament.
2. Launch a national retrofit taskforce
   The taskforce will work with local authorities to deliver area-based retrofit programmes, and co-ordinate the upskilling and retraining of thousands of workers.
3. Reform taxes to promote efficient homes
   Fair tax changes include variable stamp duty for more efficient homes, and VAT on retrofit set at 5%.
4. Strengthen building regulations
   Introduce stricter, mandatory energy efficiency standards for existing housing stock and implement the Future Homes Standard for new homes from 2023.
5. Offer cheap finance to families and small businesses
   State-owned financial institutions such as the UK Infrastructure Bank and the British Business Bank should offer cheap finance to upgrade homes and buildings.

Everyone deserves to live in a warm, comfortable home which doesn’t pollute the planet. We all have a role to play but you can give us the chance for more warmth, more light and more power by backing the Great Homes Upgrade this autumn.

Photo: Andrew Parsons /​No 10 Downing Street (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)