News Update .....
Government abandons new EPC targets
UK Government abandons higher Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) targets, providing relief for landlords.
Higher Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) targets for private rented property were going to come into force in 2025 for new tenancies and 2028 for existing tenancies. The proposed changes would force landlords to spend up to £10,000 on energy improvements or face hefty fines of up to £30,000.
Landlords will be relieved to learn that on 20th September 2023, the Prime Minister announced that the Government is abandoning these targets.
News Update .....
Domestic tenancies – a minimum EPC rating of C from 2025 .....
There are various options put forward in the consultation but the Government’s preferred policy scenario is to require:
New domestic tenancies to reach an energy efficiency rating of C from 1 April 2025;
and .....
All domestic tenancies to reach an energy efficiency rating of C by 1 April 2028.
There is a proposal to increase the maximum amount a landlord is required to invest to £10,000 together with proposals to encourage compliance and strengthen existing enforcement options. There is also a focus on the quality of the work carried out and increasing the uptake of smart meters.
The consultation is open until 30 December 2020. The government response to this consultation is planned for Spring 2021, with regulations to follow in Autumn 2021.Domestic tenancies – a minimum EPC rating of C from 2025 .....
NEWS UPDATE .....
Government announces £5k grants for Heat pumps from April 2022
https://www.gov.uk/government/news/plan-to-drive-down-the-cost-of-clean-heat
NEWS UPDATE .....
Social homes to be improved with £179m grant funding
£179 million of grant funding has been offered to 69 local authorities in England, to upgrade their social housing properties.
The 1st wave of the government's Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund (SHDF) will aim to upgrade approximately 20,000 social housing properties which currently sit below Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) C rating, between now and the 31st Jan 2023. The energy efficiency upgrades, will go some way in reducing fuel bills for tenants and delivering warmer, more efficient homes.
This marks just the first step in the government's commitment to deliver £3.8 billion worth of funding (over a 10 year period) to improve socially rented homes.
The Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy (BEIS) previously launched a pilot of the SHDF early last year. The demonstrator aimed to improve 2,100 social homes to EPC band C, through a whole house approach. This was considered to be a success, and showed how social housing could be retrofitted at scale.
NEWS UPDATE .....
Government announces £5k grants for Heat pumps from April 2022
Climate Change Chief keeps the focus on energy efficiency - UK must move faster to insulate homes - More must be done to insulate the country's draughty homes, warns Britain's climate change chief.
For the full BBC story https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-60290876
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