‘Only the rich can afford to make their homes greener’

G reener homes are becoming a luxury as a wealth divide widens between those who can afford to retrofit and those who cannot, a report by Rightmove finds . Half of £1 million-plus homes with an energy performance certificate (EPC) issued in the past year have significantly improved their rating since their previous EPC — versus 32 per cent of properties worth less than £400,000. EPCs score the energy efficiency of a home from one to 100, banded from G (worst) to A (best).

The certificates must be published when a home is marketed for rent or sale, and are created every ten years or when the property is upgraded. Rightmove, the property portal, analysed government EPC data alongside its own figures on rentals and sales..