A campaign called Energy Guide says landlords can and should do more to save energy in the private rental sector.
The campaign claims an analysis of government figures shows that 6.3 per cent of properties in the private rented sector are EPC-rated F and G compared to around just 0.7 per cent of social housing.
It also says that the latest Office of National Statistics data indicates that the average Energy Efficiency Rating for properties in England and Wales was D, suggesting there is a lot of work still to hit the target of having as many homes as possible in EPC band C by 2035.
The campaign says there are some “incredibly simple steps”: landlords can take to improve energy efficiency.
These include:
- if you heat your home with gas, you could save as much as £275 a year by installing ‘zonal heating controls’ which heat specific spaces rather than the entire property;
- installing a modern thermostat along with thermostatic radiator valves, so the heating will adapt to where you are based on the time of day and your location as it learns to adjust your heating based on your behaviour;
- upgrading your roof insulation to the recommended 270mm depth;
- upgrading appliances too, particularly a gas combi boiler - if yours is over 10 years old, it’s very likely to be G-rated under the ErP (Energy Related Products Directive) boiler rating system, meaning it could be less than 70 per cent efficient;
- encouraging tenants to switch off standby mode on all appliances;
- trading traditional light bulbs for LEDs; and
- avoiding the installation of a tumble dryer, which is one of the most expensive appliances to run.
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Fantastic advice if you want your property to be turned into a mold infested swamp.
Avoid the installation of a tumble drier and only heat specific spaces. Perfect recipe for cold spots, condensation and mold.
I thought exactly the same, what morons they are.
Jo, very true. I don't know where these people get their funding from and why they do it. I don't believe their figures, often backed up with ambiguity or euphemisms?
Why don’t they suggest taking out the heating system all together ! It does after all use that expensive thing called GAS 😂😂.
‘Encouraging tenants to switch off stand by mode on all appliances’
Imagine booking into the Hilton and the clerk saying this to us. It’s none of our business we are not care workers
Well that’s amazing considering I thought F & G were illegal to rent out !?
They can still be rented if they've got an exemption due to the cost of getting them up to E.
If the exemption didn't exist Local Authorities would have a duty to house the tenants who would be made homeless through no fault of their own. LAs currently have a bit of a housing shortage so the last thing they need is even more people being made homeless when the home they currently have is significantly better than a tent, cardboard box or mates sofa.
No doubt we'll see the same exemptions applied to D and E properties if the C minimum ever sees the light of day!
Its hard to imagine what exemptions can be used. Pretty easy to get a property to an E with some loft insulation & some LED light bulbs, its a C that causes the problems.
Well they are all telling us to do everything as if we haven’t been doing it. TV telling us last night to turn down combination boilers which we normally have on 3/3.5 anyway, this lot on about room thermostat and thermostatic radiator valves that we have, a fat lot of good turning up your TRV to heat the room when it’s governed down else where.
Until I know for sure what exactly all this EPC 'C' BS is going to involve for each of my properties I'm doing nothing, when I do know I will do the work where viable, where it isn't viable it will be eviction and selling off 1 per year, that's a business decision to be made
There will be loads of exemptions granted to avoid mass evictions as Councils can't even cope with current levels of homelessness.
Making things even worse for PRS tenants is in no one's interests but that's not to say it won't be tried before being U turned when the market shows its teeth.
I wanted to put in high retention heaters (I know they'll wreck by covering to dry washing) but can't get deal for economy 7 at moment.
I have a small flat above a corner shop, the lady lost her job earlier this year and she got 2 of these heaters fitted for free, it'll be interesting to see just how good they are this winter. There was already a eco 7 supply there, I have heard however if you don't already have a eco 7 supply at present you can't get it installed
I think some companies will do Economy 7 if you have a working smart meter.
The rates vary quite a bit from company to company and it's not easy getting the tariff information.
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