The Government expects people to make changes before a deadline in a few years’ time.
People are expected to make changes while Andy Burnham is the Prime Minister (Image: Getty)
Private landlords will need to make sure households comply with a new energy saving rule while Andy Burnham is the Prime Minister. The deadline is October 2030, with the next general election being expected in 2029 at the latest. But experts have emphasised that the Government “wishes to encourage landlords to make improvements to the energy efficiency of their properties” in advance of the deadline. So property owners will at least need to make plans and necessary preparations while Mr Burnham is the premier.
The Government confirmed in January that private landlords in England and Wales will need to ensure their properties meet an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) of Band C by 1 October 1, 2030. This is unless they have an exemption. The change is part of a plan to “cut energy bills and upgrade homes”. The Independent Landlord outlined in June that landlords, unless they had an EPC C under the current EER methodology on October 1, 2029, face two metrics: Fabric Performance Metric and the Heating System Metric or the Smart Readiness Metric.
The Government wants homes to be more energy efficient (Image: Getty)
The site’s founder, Suzanne Smith, wrote: “This is a ‘fabric first’ approach, because the landlord must first invest towards meeting the Fabric Performance Metric, and once the property meets this, or they register a valid exemption, they must then invest towards installing measures to meet their chosen secondary metric.
“This means that once the building has met the Fabric Performance Metric (or have an exemption), landlords can choose either to install a heat pump to achieve a C rating under the Heating System Metric or improve the property’s ‘smart readiness’ by, for instance, installing solar panels and a smart meter, unless they have an exemption.
“A gas boiler would not achieve a C rating under the Heating System Metric.”
A Band C rating indicates that a home was built using energy efficient building methods or has underwent renovation work aimed at increasing its energy efficiency. The home should be between 69 and 80% efficient.
The Government says in its guidance, which was last updated in May: “Government has committed to look at a long-term trajectory to improve the energy performance standards of privately rented homes in England and Wales, with the aim for as many of them as possible to be upgraded to EPC Band C or equivalent by 2030.
“We are exploring policy design options following the 2026 consultation and will provide further information in due course.”