Due to delays in the implementation of new standards encouraging landlords to make more energy-efficient properties, private renters are forced to pay an additional £1 billion in gas and electricity bills.
The government has been lambasted for the delay in the implementation of the new proposal that would require landlords to upgrade their properties to at least a C rating as per the energy performance certificate (EPC) scheme.
As of now, it is more expensive for the renters staying in privately rented homes that are less energy efficient EPC band E.
If landlords are made to follow the proposed new minimum energy efficiency standards, then more than 2.4 million privately rented homes in England could benefit from significant savings as they fall below the C band.
Ministers started a consultation on raising the minimum standard for privately rented homes in 2020, to make landlords adhere to the C-band standard for new tenancies starting in 2025 and existing tenancies starting in 2028. However, the government has not yet passed the proposals into law.
“Privately rented homes are often cold, unhealthy, and are likely to cost the billpayer and taxpayer billions because of their poor insulation, Jess Ralston, an energy analyst at the Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit (ECIU), said. “Encouraging private landlords to invest in their properties will lift local economies while saving the NHS millions.”
In January, the National Residential Landlords Association (NRLA) stated that the government’s failure to enact the timeline for implementation starting in 2025 was, in other words, “dead in the water”.
As per research by the ECIU, if it takes two more years for the measures to become law and landlords are then given time to comply, it could cost renters trapped in leaky Band E houses £1 billion.
There is little incentive for the landlords to upgrade their rental properties to be more energy efficient by investing in insulation, draught-proofing, double glazing, and more efficient heating systems, while tenants are responsible for paying the gas and energy bills.
Approximately one-quarter of private rental properties are categorized as “inadequate,” and the same number of renters live in fuel poverty.
Roughly 1.6 million children live in privately rented homes; these homes were cold, damp, or had significant mold, as per research by Citizen Advice.
“Questions are being asked about why something as simple as confirming a new standard is taking this long when it could save households cash and generate growth at a time when UK growth is at best sluggish,” Ralston stated.
In January, the Department for Business, Energy, and Industrial Strategy claimed government support had in part enabled the number of houses with an energy efficiency grade of C or higher to jump from 13% in 2010 to 46%.
“We are [also] investing over £6.6bn to help decarbonize homes and buildings and to ensure all homes meet EPC band C by 2035,” a BEIS spokesperson stated.
- Published By Team Timeswire