11th
Feb 2022
The Daily Telegraph has just featured a news story which says the Department for Business, Energy and Industry Strategy.is undertaking a review of the current EPC ratings.
The Telegraph was told by a department spokesperson that: “Energy Performance Certificates provide useful guidance for consumers and businesses outlining how energy efficient buildings are in a simple and comparable manner.
“We are already looking at ways the system can be improved through our EPC Action Plan to ensure they are as accurate and effective as possible.”
The newspaper claims the review is being held because of considerable issues regarding the installation of heat pumps that could in fact cause some properties appearing to be less energy efficient rather than its feted ‘more’; switching over to heat pump however could automatically reduce an EPC rating.
The Telegraph quotes Craig Mackinlay MP, chairman of the Net Zero Scrutiny group, when saying: "Given that heat pumps can actually increase energy use, on which EPC certification is derived, they could push a property that might have been rated C under an old method into D.
"That could make it both unrentable and possibly even unsaleable, if some of the more nonsensical Net Zero measures that we hear about are realised.”
The newspaper reports that EPCs are at present based on an estimate of how much it costs to keep a home warm whilst not taking into consideration the amount of carbon emissions generated.
Heat pumps do produce less carbon emissions than gas boilers but the issue of being more expensive to run is very much a concern.
The EPC rating system in England and Wales has been left unchanged since 2007 when introduced in the failed Home Information Pack, and originally for larger properties with four plus bedrooms. However EPC ratings have since been rolled out across the UK and includes smaller properties.
There is an ever growing ‘bank’ of mortgage lenders offering more enticing rates to those buying properties with good EPC ratings. The government has also suggested that lenders should be conscious of trying to improve the ratings of properties on their books to have a ‘C’ rating at the very least by 2030.
Currently it is believed that just 10 per cent of England and Wales 22 million homes achieved the highest EPC A and B ratings, but around 60 per cent have a rating of D and below.
The new proposed regulations will probably have to improve landlord’s property ratings to an EPC ‘C’ rating by 2025, those with existing tenancies have until 2028 to reach the same standard.
Richard Merrick of PIMS, says:” Well who knows the government may actually take notice of the Net Zero Scrutiny Group experts recommendations?
“As for the overpriced so called energy efficiency heat pumps they are far from efficient and expensive to run with many reports from council social housing departments of considerable problems encountered with the pumps breaking down.
“It is no wonder many of our members are holding fire on making decisions as to which option they wish to take to improve energy efficiency. There are now continual ‘mutterings of discontent’ from landlords about whether to sell up and be rid of the over-regulated, punitively taxed and licensed sector.”
“Politicians no doubt will bury their heads to the fact that many renters will become homeless and some MPs not involved in ‘real life’ circumstances, will just wave this away as they are very confident they will be ‘housed’ – somehow?”
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