Lancashire is ‘the least energy efficient county in the country’ - but Chorley and Preston buck the trend

Preston is not far behind, but the Central Lancashire neighbours are the only districts in the county that are ranked better than the national average.

Overall, Lancashire has more poorly-rated places than anywhere else in the UK, with four council areas - Pendle, Burnley, Hyndburn and Blackpool - in the top ten worst nationwide, according to analysis of Office for National Statistics (ONS) data by PlumbingNav.

The stats show the proportion of new and existing dwellings in each local authority patch that have an energy performance certificate (EPC) rating of C or above, considerded ‘good’.

In Chorley, that figure stands at 46.3 percent, while in Preston it is 44.1 percent. The UK average is 42.4 percent.

South Ribble is one of the dozen Lancashire districts that comes in below that average - but it is still the third best in the county at 41.1 percent.

A spokesperson for PlumbingNav, which conducted research on ONS data for the year ending March 2022 said: “It is striking to see the disparity in energy efficiency ratings across the UK, with Lancashire suffering the worst EPC ratings.

“A poor energy efficiency rating is one of the biggest drivers in household energy bills, at a time where few can afford increased costs.

“Despite the energy price cap reduction, the cost of heating still remains cripplingly high for many, and Citizens Advice Bureau has revealed that millions of households will pay more for their energy bills than last year, due to the cost-of-living-crisis leaving them with less money for household bills - and because government subsidies have been removed.

“Homes with poor energy efficiency are likely to suffer from the highest bills this winter, and residents may find it useful to see if they qualify for winter fuel payments or other energy support.”

It was announced last week by the regulator Ofgem that the energy price cap for October to December this year would be cut, bringing the average dual-fuel energy bill below £2,000 a year for the first time since April 2022 - and saving households an average of £151 on the previous quarter.

The cap for the period will be set at an annual level of £1,923 for a dual-fuel household paying by direct debit, based on the current typical domestic consumption values rate - although bills for individual households could still be higher depending on exact levels of use.

While some targeted and discretionary support with bills remains available for certain vulnerable groups, the flat-rate government grant of £400 that was paid to all households last year to help with rocketing gas and electricity bills is not being repeated.