A council which last year staged a pilot project about the Minimum Energy Efficiency Standards in the lettings sector is now starting a year-long initiative to push for improved heating in private rental units.
Luton council’s Private Sector Housing team has inaugurated a year-long initiative funded by Public Health in Luton.
The primary goal of this Warm Healthy Homes project is to assist landlords in meeting energy efficiency requirements and ensure compliance with the MEES regulations. These regulations set a minimum standard for the energy efficiency of privately rented domestic properties, currently mandating that they achieve a minimum Band E rating.
The project will streamline the process by which landlords receive crucial information and guidance, by offering tailored support and information, the initiative aims to empower landlords to enhance their properties or apply for exemptions as needed.
A council spokesperson says: “This is a really important initiative. The overarching objective of the Warm Healthy Homes project is to decrease the number of private tenants living in fuel poverty and inhabiting substandard, unhealthy dwellings.
“Improved energy efficiency, such as effective insulation, contributes to healthier living conditions by mitigating the impact of cold weather on residents' health. Cold homes have been linked to severe health issues, including fatality.”
This initiative is part of the MEES project financed by the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero.
That project delivered personalised information and guidance to private landlords across the Luton region. However, due to the constraints of the previous funding period, the project was incomplete, and its outcomes were not publicised.
Consequently, Luton council says there is a need to persist and establish the groundwork for ongoing advancements in advocating for energy efficiency and fostering healthy living conditions.
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According to tv last night Luton was voted the worst place to live in England, I once drove through Luton by mistake and can see why S... hole
When my parents moved into their council house in 1955 it had a sink with hot and cold taps, an immersion heater, a fireplace with back boiler and bare concrete floors on the ground floor. There was a point in the kitchen for an electric cooker and a sealed gas pipe. They had to install their own kitchen cupboards, flooring etc. it was many years before they could afford fitted carpets. Nowadays social housing tenants expect so much more. The EPC would have been an A. Were we happier? Yes, I think we were despite ice on the inside of the windows and my mother wiping off condensation every morning when it was cold. No sign of damp or condensation mould in those days! 👍
An immersion heater?
You were LUCKY!
I remember the excitement in the mid 50's of having the immersion heater fitted which meant we could have warm(ish) baths even when the coal fire wasn't on.
The hot water tank was high up in the hall (more a lobby but my mum called it the hall) cupboard and Dad had to stand on a stool to switch it on right at the water tank. It was switched off as soon as the bath was run - no opportunity to top up the hot water half way through the bath. In any case we had to bath fast as several kids would share the same lukewarm bath water.
Many more owner occupiers than landlords.
Why not try to fix the bigger problem in them?
More voters to antagonise?
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