New research reveals the extent of poorly insulated homes in Newtown

New research reveals that homes in Newtown need further insulation to shield residents from the energy crisis, with homes in Newtown Central the worst affected.

Research published by the Friends of the Earth has identified hundreds of energy crisis hotspots across Wales where communities are at greatest risk of serious financial hardship as a result of unaffordable energy costs.

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Fortuantly, their research shows that Newtown residents do not fall within these hotspots, however houses in Newtown are still remain in need of further insultation. The worst ward for insultated homes is Newtown Central with only 23% of well insulated homes. The best ward is Newtown South with 68% of well insultated homes. This is likely due to the high level of council owned homes in this area which have received investment.

Their full research for Newtown is outlined below:

The map that can be viewed here covers Wales and England, but parts of Wales are some of the worst affected. Blaenau Gwent is second on the list with 70.2% of neighbourhoods classed as energy crisis hotspots and Merthyr Tydfil fourth at 63.9%.

331 neighbourhoods are listed in total, with Caerphilly in 10th place and Rhondda Cynon Taf in 12th. The Vale of Glamorgan in 281st and Monmouthshire in 271st place are the least impacted in Wales.

Energy crisis hotspots are neighbourhoods where energy use is high and typical household income is below the national average. In many cases, energy use is high in these neighbourhoods because homes are poorly insulated, meaning they require more energy to remain warm.