Does your rental property meet the minimum Energy Efficiency Ratings?

March 1, 2018

From the 1st April 2018 new regulations come into force that requires landlords of privately rented domestic and non-domestic property in England or Wales to ensure that their properties reach at least an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) rating of E before granting a new tenancy to new or existing tenants. 

These requirements will then apply to all private rented properties in England and Wales – even where there has been no change in tenancy arrangements – from 1 April 2020 for domestic properties, and from 1 April 2023 for non-domestic properties.

So, what are the best ways to improve the EPC rating of a property?

Lighting: Replace existing halogen or non-low Energy Lighting with LELs (low energy lighting), Fluorescent Light’s (CFL) or Light Emitting Diodes (LEDs) – these are simple and inexpensive to introduce.

Roof Insulation: Make sure that your insulation is at least 270mm in depth. Funding is available if the current depth is less than 90mm

Cavity Wall Insulation: If your property has cavity walls, fill them with insulation. Funding is also available to help offset the cost.

Heating Controls: Introducing room thermostats, individual Thermostatic Radiator Valves (TRVs) and a boiler programmer will help improve your EPC. Even if these are applied to an old boiler.

Central Heating System: Replacing an old, inefficient boiler is more expensive than the measures above, with a longer payback period, but will have a significant impact on your properties EPC.

Secondary Heating Source: Installing a wood burning stove scores highly on EPC ratings and they are eco-friendly.

Renewable Technologies: There are a wide range of systems and technologies available that can improve the energy efficiency of your property by 20X or more.  Consider solar / Photovoltaic panels, Bio-Mass boilers and Ground Source Heat pumps to replace conventional central heating systems. Most renewable energy systems are incentivised by Government backed Guaranteed Feed-in-Tarfiffs (FITs), leading to significantly lower energy costs in relation to other systems.