Rightmove urges the next government to help homeowners and landlords make their homes greener as it estimates 18m homes have a rating of an energy performance certificate (EPC) of D or below.

The latest figures take into account both homes that have an EPC, and those that have never had one because they haven’t been sold or rented out since EPCs were introduced.

It equates to over half (55%) of all UK housing stock.

Rightmove’s Energy Bills Tracker shows that the difference in bills between homes with higher and lower energy efficiency ratings can be significant.

The analysis of government data shows that the average energy bill of a three-bedroom house with an EPC rating of F is £4,431 per year, compared with £1,669 for the same sized house with an EPC rating of C – a difference of £2,762.

Green improvements could include window upgrades, roof or floor insulation, installing solar panels or moving from a gas boiler to a heat pump.

A new Rightmove study among over 14,000 people shows that the biggest motivator for someone to make green changes to their home is if it could reduce their energy bills.

The study also found that 87% of renters and 83% of homeowners believe more action should be taken to help people make their homes greener.

Rightmove urges whichever party wins the election to prioritise making green home incentives available to as many homes as possible, as soon as possible.

Rightmove property expert Tim Bannister says: “While it’s a start to see some green support proposed in the party manifestos, there’s a big job to be done to address the wide scale issue that at least 18m UK homes need to be improved.”

“Many home-owners and landlords need urgent access to schemes that enable them to make these improvements, which could help with huge savings on energy bills.”

“Each home requires different improvements and the upfront costs are a huge barrier to change. Without more help, many home-owners and tenants will continue to live in high-carbon emitting homes with high energy costs.”