Green homes: how to shut out the winter cold and save cash

With storms and snow sweeping much of the country this week, many people’s thoughts will have turned to how to make their home warmer and more energy efficient.

According to research from Nationwide building society, shared with Guardian Money, some households could be wasting as much as £27.50 a month, or £330 a year, because of inefficient heating and poor insulation.

Its league table of areas in England and Wales named Llandrindod Wells in Powys as the least heat-efficient location, followed by Shrewsbury.

The research is based on data from (EPCs). Since 2008 an EPC has been needed whenever a property is built, sold or rented, and it gives the building an energy efficiency rating from A (most