MORE than half of homes in York have been given a poor energy efficiency rating of 'D' or below, figures show.

And an MP in the city said "serious attention" needs to be urgently put towards making homes fit for the future.

Figures from the Office for National Statistics show 56 per cent of households in York were living in homes with a rating of 'D' or below as of March.

The average energy efficiency rating for the area is 67 out of 100 – just below the average of 68 across England.

York Central MP, Rachael Maskell, said residents need to do their best to make sure heat stays inside their homes, leading to the money spent on gas and electricity keeping people warmer for longer.

Ms Maskell said: "Serious attention needs to be urgently put towards making our homes fit for the future.

"This Government simply hasn’t prioritised future-proofing our houses and buildings. The UK spends more money on energy wasted through the walls and roofs of our houses than any other country in Western Europe.

£This winter’s energy bills are higher than ever, people want to make their homes more efficient, but they need Government to deliver a national programme of action to get it done.

“Labour’s Warm Homes Plan would reduce energy bills and bring 19 million of the leakiest homes up to standard by investing up to £6 billion a year in retrofitting for 10 years.”

The figures further show the average home in York produced an estimated 3.3 tonnes of carbon dioxide in the year to March.

Houses and other buildings are given an efficiency rating of A to G, based on numerous factors – such as levels of insulation, the type of central heating used and how modern the building's lightbulbs are.

Ratings are generally only given when homes are bought, sold or rented – with these figures only for homes that have received ratings in the past 10 years.

Older homes are overwhelmingly less efficient than newer ones – just 18 per cent of homes built before 1930 were in the top three rating bands, compared to 94 per cent of homes built in the past year.

Energy poverty charity National Energy Action said the most deprived families are hardest hit by poor energy efficiency.

In 2014, the Government set a target of bringing as many fuel-poor homes up to band C as possible by the end of 2030.

A spokesperson for the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero said: "We have allocated over £12 billion in energy efficiency and low carbon heating during this Parliament, with a further £7.5 billion being made available from 2025 to 2028, to help create homes fit for the future, provide long-term funding certainty for industry and grow supply chains to scale up the delivery over time."