Rishi Sunak announced on 20 September 2023 that he was scrapping planned regulations on minimum energy efficiency standards (MEES) for rental properties, as part of what he described as a "new approach" to net-zero policy1. Under the change, landlords will not be obliged to insulate their rental properties to higher standards1. The announcement was made in a speech at 10 Downing Street and confirmed in detail the following day1.
The MEES rules would have required privately rented homes to reach Energy Performance Certificate band C. The Carbon Brief account of the announcement records the change alongside two other reversals: a five-year delay to the 2030 ban on the sale of new petrol and diesel cars, and a loosening of the 2035 phaseout of gas boiler sales1. The 2026 deadline for the sale of new oil, LPG and new coal heating, set following a 2021 consultation, was pushed back to 20351.
The government also confirmed that the zero emissions vehicle mandate would remain in place, unchanged, after initial confusion1. The grant available through the Boiler Upgrade Scheme was increased to £7,500 for heat pumps1. Whether the overall funding for the scheme would rise was not specified1.
"Sunak also announced that he was scrapping planned regulations on minimum energy efficiency standards (MEES) for rental properties."
Reaction was divided. More than 400 companies and civil society groups signed an open letter opposing the rollback, and a range of politicians criticised the changes, with some calling for a snap general election1. Others welcomed them1. Polling by the consultancy More In Common in the week of the speech found that, by a 49-18 point margin, the public would prefer the government to do more rather than less to reach net-zero, and that 41% of people said they were "less likely" to vote Conservative if the government did not stick to the climate commitments it had made1. The government's statutory climate advisers had written to the government asking how it still expected to meet its targets in light of the changes1.
Why it matters for households
For tenants in the private rented sector, the removal of the MEES timetable means there is no longer a planned legal deadline requiring their home to reach EPC C by 2028. The practical effect is that a landlord's obligation to improve the energy performance of a rented property is not being extended on the schedule previously set out. Homes that are cold, expensive to heat or poorly insulated will not be brought up to that standard by regulation on that date.
For a household, the energy performance of the building sets a ceiling on how much can be saved through behaviour alone. Insulation, glazing and draught-proofing reduce the heat a home loses, which in turn reduces how much gas or electricity is needed to keep it warm. Where those improvements are not required, the decision to make them rests with the property owner rather than being driven by a compliance deadline.
The change sits alongside the other reversals announced at the same time, including the loosened gas boiler phaseout and the delayed ban on new petrol and diesel car sales1. Taken together, they alter the timetable on which households were expected to make low-carbon switches in heating, transport and the fabric of their homes.
What happens next
The Carbon Brief account states that the Department of Transport had not yet responded to its ZEV consultation, which closed in May, and that the mandate would still need to be voted on in the House of Commons before coming into force1. No replacement timetable for rented homes has been reported.