The Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) has laid out new rules to help make private rented housing more energy efficient. The aim is to save tenants money while also making their homes more comfortable to live in, especially during the winter months. The new standards will come into force from April 2018, although from April 2016 affected tenants will have the right to request improvements and landlords will not be allowed to refuse “unreasonably”.
Energy Performance Certificates
The new standards will be based on the rental property’s Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) banding. The EPC system rates a house from A to G with A being the most efficient and G being the least. According to Money Saving Expert, families in homes rated F and G pay up to £1000 a year more on their bills than those in the most efficient homes. The DECC will require all rental homes to be brought up to at least Band E which will allow households to significantly cut their energy usage, saving them money and reducing their carbon footprint.
Making improvements
The main ways to make a home more energy efficient are to improve its insulation and replace inefficient old appliances with modern, greener alternatives. Increasing the amount and quality of a building’s insulation will reduce the amount of heat that is wasted through being lost to the outside. Modern appliances, such as condensing boilers, usually provide much more heat for every unit of energy they consume. An A rated condensing boiler will usually be over 90% efficient, compared to as little as 60% with older, non-condensing varieties.
Funding changes
There are a number of initiatives in place to help fund the necessary changes, meaning landlords won’t necessarily be out of pocket or tempted to pass the cost onto their tenants through increased rents. Landlords are eligible to apply for the Green Deal Home Improvement Fund to help with the costs of making improvements.
DHS have been providing boiler installation in Bristol and the surrounding area for over 40 years and are one of the area’s most trusted firms. We work with dozens of landlords and offer boilers on a buy now, pay later basis with Hitatchi Finance allowing you to spread the cost of improving your properties over a longer period.
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