E3G, an independent climate change think tank, published a briefing on 14 January 2023 calling for the revival of revised Minimum Energy Efficiency Standards (MEES) for privately rented homes in the UK. The briefing states that the government consulted on proposals for revised MEES in 2020 and, despite subsequently including them in its Heat and Buildings, Sustainable Warmth and Net Zero strategies, "it has not yet brought them to Parliament"1.
The briefing puts the case for new standards in financial terms. It states that new energy efficiency standards would save renters £570 per year and lead to aggregate annual savings of £1.75bn1. It also states that over a quarter of renting households in the UK live in fuel poverty1.
E3G's modelling, based on the English Housing Survey and Ofgem typical consumption values, gives average savings for other tenures on being upgraded to EPC C. The briefing states that, based on the overall composition of the English housing stock, this gives an overall average saving for an English household upgraded to EPC C of £5871.
| Housing tenure | Average saving on upgrade to EPC C |
|---|---|
| Private rented | £570 |
| Housing association | £407 |
| Local authority | £409 |
| Owner occupied | £639 |
| Overall English average | £587 |
Source: E3G briefing, 14 January 20231
The briefing was endorsed by the Green Finance Institute, National Energy Action and Generation Rent, whose representatives gave supporting statements. Matt Copeland, Head of Policy and Public Affairs at National Energy Action, said private renters are more likely to be fuel poor than people in any other tenure and more likely to live in the leakiest properties1. Dan Wilson Craw, Deputy Director at Generation Rent, said minimum standards have already had a positive impact for renters in the worst properties1.
"The return of the Energy Bill in 2023 is a chance to revive the proposals."
The briefing states that improving energy efficiency in the private rented sector is essential to combat fuel poverty, reduce UK energy demand, improve energy security and meet net zero ambitions, and that it can be done in a way that creates jobs and grows the economy1. It also states that landlords have little incentive to invest, leaving tenants exposed1.
Why it matters for households
For private renters, the energy performance of the home is largely outside their control: the briefing states that landlords have little incentive to invest, leaving tenants exposed1. Minimum standards are the mechanism by which a property's efficiency becomes a condition of letting rather than a matter of landlord choice, which is why the consultation process and the department that would enforce any standard, DESNZ, sit at the centre of this. The savings figures above indicate the scale of the gap between tenures: E3G's modelling puts the private rented saving at £570 a year, against £639 for owner occupiers and £587 across English households as a whole1. The briefing links the issue directly to energy security and demand reduction, not only to bills1. The wider condition of the housing stock, and how it varies by tenure, is set out in the site's guide to the energy efficiency of the UK housing stock. Scotland has its own standards for privately rented homes, covered in the guide to EPC C in the rented sector in Scotland, and Wales sets buildings policy separately, as explained in the guide to energy and buildings policy in Wales.
What happens next
The briefing states that the return of the Energy Bill in 2023 is a chance to revive the proposals1. No date has been reported for the revised MEES being brought to Parliament, and no timetable for implementation is given in the briefing.