Poor insulation in caravans has led to Castle Point being rated as having the worst energy efficiency area in mainland England, a council leader has said.

Many people in Castle Point, particularly those living in the hundreds of caravans in the borough, are set to be most impacted by energy prices rises.

According to figures published in November 2021, only 21.4 percent of homes in the borough have an Energy Performance Certificate rating of C or above, compared to the national average of 41 percent.

That poor level of performance has been blamed largely on the the number of households living in caravans as their permanent home.

Councillor Andrew Sheldon, leader of Castle Point Council, said: “We have a lot of park homes in the borough in privately owned parks and unless they are properly insulated they tend to be far less energy efficient then bricks and mortar homes.

“Last year Castle Point Council has been awarded a £2.3million grant, the biggest single award of any local authority in England, from the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy under the Green Homes Grant Local Authority Delivery scheme, to fully upgrade the insulation on 250 private park homes at Kings Park Village on Canvey.

“That work was completed in the Autumn. These upgrades could cut each household’s energy bills by hundreds of pounds every year and are likely to save thousands of tonnes of CO2 being released into the atmosphere over their lifetime.”

Kings Park is one of four caravan sites in Castle Point, as well as Holehaven Caravan Park, Kingsley Park, and Thorney Bay.

Between them they have more than 1,200 caravans permanently occupied.

Around 18 million households on standard tariffs across the UK will see an average increase of £693 – from £1,277 to £1,971 per year when the cap ends in April.

Energy bills won’t rise immediately for customers on fixed rates, but many are likely to see a significant increase when their deal ends.

Residents who do not live at Kings Park are still able to take advantage of the Green Homes Scheme, which can provide up to £5,000 to pay part of the cost of energy saving measures like insulation and low carbon technology such as an air source heat pump.