If you’ re a landlord, you will be aware that recent years have seen successive changes to the energy-efficiency standards the law requires you to maintain for your domestic let property. It might have been something of a challenge to keep up with the steadily more stringent requirements.
Since 1 April 2020, landlords are prohibited from letting or continuing to let properties that fall below an EPC rating of E, unless a valid exemption is in place.
If you are planning to let a property with an EPC rating of F or G, you must either improve the property’s rating to E or register an exemption before entering into a new tenancy agreement.
For those currently letting a property with an EPC rating of F or G, immediate action is required: you need to either upgrade the property’s rating to E or secure an exemption if you haven’t already done so.
However, if your property is currently unoccupied and you have no plans to let it in the near future, you do not need to improve its rating until you decide to put it back on the market.
EPC C ratings
The government has confirmed that by 2030, landlords will be required to achieve an EPC rating of Band C.
Against this background of steadily more stringent rules, you will also want to know what you can do to improve your let property’s EPC rating.
Insulation
Probably the single most efficient way of conserving the energy required to heat your home is to prevent its loss by thoroughly insulating the building.
The Energy Saving Trust points out that around a third of all heat that is lost from an uninsulated home escapes through the walls. Insulating the cavity between the two courses of brick or blockwork, therefore, is one of the most efficient energy-saving measures – and could save you around £320 a year in energy bills.
Floor insulation – under the floor and around the skirting boards – could save you a further £110 for a detached house (£70 for a semi-detached) while topping up the insulation in your loft could save £20 a year more.
For the relatively affordable cost of an insulating jacket for your hot water cylinder, you could improve the EPC rating of your home – and save yourself as much as £40 a year in energy bills.
Double-glazing
Simple steps you can take for an immediate impact include the suggestion we made elsewhere about draught-proofing your windows and doors. Keeping the cold air out and the warmth can help boost your EPC rating at a stroke.
A longer-term and even more energy-efficient investment will be double-glazing – or triple-glazing – your windows. Some 18% of the heat within your home is lost through the windows, suggest s research done by the government, and you can combat that loss by the installation of double glazing that is rated A+.
Lighting
If you are still using traditional incandescent light bulbs or halogen lighting give serious consideration to replacing these with far more energy-efficient LED systems.
LEDs (which stands for Light Emitting Diodes) consume less energy and can last up to 25 times as long as traditional lighting. You can find out more here.
Energy audit
If you are the landlord of a whole block of flats or multiple let units and want a global picture of your use of energy and how to make it more efficient, you may want to consider a root-and-branch energy audit – just as we suggested in an earlier blog about savings on your energy costs.
Update your EPC
Once you have taken as many of the energy-efficiency measures as you can, you might want to arrange for a new EPC for your let property.
As we explained in an earlier blog, the inspection and certification must be done by an accredited domestic energy assessor and an appropriate contact can be found through the government website. The latter will also display any existing EPCs for the property in question.
The process is somewhat different if the property is in Scotland.
