UK Finance Proposes Energy Performance Certificate EPC Reforms

The Government, via the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government as well as the Department for Energy security and Net Zero is in consultation on the bext ways to make our homes more energy efficient in a ‘coordinated. Way.

UK Finance is a trade association of 300 banking and financial services sector firms providing credit, banking, markets and payment-related services and has subnitted its reply to the consultation suggesting a joined up approach to stop people becoming property prisoners or making it so difficult and complex for lenders to offer loan facilities for non-green property.

Energy Perfomance Certificates (EPC) form a key part of this approach.  Landlords have long been encouraged to make rental properties more energy efficient with:

• 1 April 2020 – landlords no longer allowed to let property with an EPC below E (the lowest ratings of F to G are banned).
• Landlords can apply for an exemption if, even after spending £3,500 on improvements, they still cannot get the property to an E.
• 31^st December 2025 and 31^st December 2028 were important dates.  It used to be that landlords had to get properties to a minimum EPC of C for new tenancies by 31^st 8.2025 and for existing, rolling over tenancies by 31^st December 2028.
• 31^st December 2030 is now the new Labour Government’s EPC target date for ladlords on grade C EPCs under their Warm Homes Plan due later this year.

UK Finance has proposed

Common standards and definitions for all energy performance improvements e.g. loft insulation, wall insulation, storage heaters versus low energy eco-heaters, solar panels, ground heating, air heating, hysdrogen boilers and more. There are so many inaccuracies, inconsistencies and even fraud. 

• Even the directors of this website have suffered with electricians installing well known, low power, eco ‘immediate heat’ systems, costing ‘ a small fortune’ only for an EPC surveyor to downgrade the EPC on the office.
• Storage heaters are great for overnight use of low cost electricity but they are still using the same amount of electricity whether powering up overnight or during the day with more expensive electricity, so the same ‘emissions footprint’ yet they are rated higher than lower electicity using eco-heating systems.
• This is inconsistent.
• Storage heaters are of little use in a 9-5 office if there is a cold snap in winter and employers have a legal responsibility under Health and Safety to keep temperatres at a minimum level but the storage heater runs low on power at 3.30pm as the temperature falls outside.

UK Finance also proposed that existing EPCs should be allowed to continue and not expire in 2030 given there will be new rules that current EPCs have not been tested against.  A joined up approach is definitely needed here.

Comment

It is all a mess.  The UK government should focus on development of clean energy.  Instead they are forcing landlords only (what about homeowners and 2 homeowners and holiday home owners???) to be energy efficient.  So provate landlord tenants get warmer homes but what about social housing?  It appears Social Landlords are exempt or are simply selling off poor housing stock.

Would it not be better for all homeowners be allowed to invest some of their pension fund e.g., £5,000-£10,000 in shares in a clean energy project such as wind/solar/gound heat to then install the same at their homes and benefit from free, zero emissions, energy for life?