Local authority diagnosis
Darlington
In Darlington, 18,536 rated homes sit below EPC band C. That puts the area at #111 for the widest gap among local authority areas in England & Wales.
Direction of travel
On current pace, reaches band C by 2053
Projection from the 15-year rated-stock trend; not a forecast.
Retrofit gap
51.9%
of 35,707 rated domestic dwellings are below band C.
EPC Open Data · Open Government Licence · free to cite with attribution.
Homes below band C
18,536
League rank
#111
1 = widest gap.
Cost to reach band C
Is the gap closing?
The latest position for Darlington, set against the recent direction of travel.
Fig.1Retrofit gap over time
Stock · year-endShare of Darlington's rated dwellings below band C at each year-end, ending at its headline 51.9%. Tracks every home by its latest certificate. EPC register.
Cold Homes Index
59 / 100
#92 of 296 English local authorities (hardest to heat & fix). How it's built →
What is at stake in the local market
We match HM Land Registry sales to EPC certificates: price per m², below-C matched-sale exposure, the observed C-or-above price/m² spread, and transaction-rate signals. Modelled estimates, shown with match coverage; not valuations. Methodology
Matched-sale exposure
£1.6bn
estimate for below-C stock; not a valuation.
Median sale price
£160k
typical matched sale here.
Matched sale £/m²
£1,898/m²
median, from matched sales.
Spread vs cost
5.79×
observed C+ price/m² spread ÷ modelled cost-to-C.
46.0% coverageMatched-sale estimate from recent HM Land Registry sales. Not a valuation. Methodology.
- £1,898/m²
- £1.6bnmatched-sale estimate of below-C rated stock value; not a valuation
- +25.8%
- Homes rated C or better sell for ~+25.8% more per m², holding size, type and location constant (95% CI +25.8%–+25.8%).
- 0.87×
Matched sale £/m²
Matched-sale exposure
C+ sale-price premium — size/type/location controlled
Below-C transaction rate
Fuel poverty & deprivation here
Current official local-authority data for gauging household hardship, grant-funding focus and where retrofit support is targeted.
Households in fuel poverty
9.5%
DESNZ sub-regional fuel poverty (LILEE), England.
Neighbourhoods in the most-deprived 10%
19.7%
share of LSOAs in the most-deprived national decile · English Indices of Deprivation 2025.
Retrofit funding available here
Retrofit grants concentrate in areas like this — schemes that may help fund work on below-C homes in Darlington:
- Boiler Upgrade Scheme ↗ — £7,500 towards an air- or ground-source heat pump (or biomass).
- Warm Homes: Local Grant ↗ — Insulation and low-carbon heating, delivered by your local authority.
- Energy Company Obligation (ECO) / insulation schemes ↗ — Supplier-funded insulation and heating measures.
Schemes, eligibility rules and funding windows change. These are signposts, not an eligibility decision — confirm current rules via each scheme's official page. Eligibility usually depends on the household's income or benefits and the property.
Private rented sector
The rented-stock cut
60.6% (based on 86.7% tenure coverage)
Make it specific
Area averages cannot tell you what one home needs.
Check a real address in Darlington for its EPC, running costs, route to band C and available support. Landlords can then compare that home across a portfolio.
Prefer a general estimate? Model a home type in the cost calculator.
For local reporters: this is Darlington's citable figure — copy the line below or embed the live widget, free to use with attribution.
Cite this figure / embed
Citation
The Home Index (2026-Q2): Darlington has a retrofit gap of 51.9% — the share of rated homes below EPC band C. Source: EPC Open Data (Open Government Licence).
Embed this figure
<iframe src="https://thehomeindex.org/embed/lad/E06000005" width="320" height="200" style="border:0" title="The Home Index — Darlington" loading="lazy"></iframe>