Future governments will be legally bound to tackle England’s least energy-efficient properties, raising them all to 'band C' if proposals launched today to combat fuel poverty become law. The proposals, contained in a consultation published today state that there will be a legal obligation for as many fuel-poor homes as ‘reasonably practicable’ to be raised to a ‘band C’ energy-efficiency rating by 2030.

The document, 'Cutting the Cost of Keeping Warm' also considers helping low-income households who are not connected to the gas grid and those whose health can suffer from living in the cold.

The government pledges to encourage and learn from local ‘insulation on prescription’ trials for those suffering health problems caused by living in cold homes that cost too much to heat. Under these pilots patients have received home improvements worth as much as £5,000 each.

The Department of Energy and Climate Change said that one in 10 privately rented homes has the lowest energy-efficiency rating, and nearly 20% of these homes are in fuel poverty – almost double the national average.

The chairman of the independent Fuel Poverty Advisory Group, Derek Lickorish, said: ‘The devil will be in the detail.’

‘I am cautiously optimistic that the new law will drive significant improvements to the living conditions of the fuel poor across England.

‘As we move towards a band C, and as insulation and heating technology improves and becomes cheaper, there will be no let up by Fuel Poverty Advisory Group in striving to reach this target by an earlier date.’.