The consultation on improving the energy performance of privately rented homes in England and Wales closed at 11:59pm on 2 May 2025, the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero has confirmed. It ran from 9am on 7 February 2025 and received 1,920 responses from private landlords, property management organisations, homeowners, private tenants, national representative and trade bodies, professional bodies and institutions, and local authorities1.
The consultation proposed raising the minimum energy efficiency standard required of privately rented homes in England and Wales to the equivalent of Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) C by 20301. The government has since published its response, setting out decisions including a single compliance date of 1 October 2030 for the new standard, and a dual-metric standard with a fabric performance standard first, followed by landlord discretion to meet either a heating system standard or a smart readiness standard1.
Other decisions set out in the response include raising the cost-cap to £10,000 with a 10-year validity period for exemptions, and allowing properties with a current EPC C to be recognised as compliant under the future standard until the EPC expires. This includes private rented homes graded C or above against the Energy Efficiency Rating (EER) on EPCs before 1 October 20291. The response also confirms an increase in the number of exemptions available and amendments to current exemptions, and states that short-term lets will not be included within the scope of PRS MEES regulations, with more engagement required before any further consideration1.
"Alongside the Warm Homes Plan, increasing standards in the sector will support the delivery of up to 5 million home upgrades by 2030"
The policy aims to deliver energy bill and carbon emissions savings in the domestic private rented sector, to deliver against the government's statutory 2030 fuel poverty target and carbon budgets1. An impact assessment has been published alongside the government response1.
Why it matters for households
For tenants in privately rented homes, the proposed standard would set a minimum energy performance level for the property they rent, with the aim of reducing bills and improving warmth. The dual-metric approach means a property would first need to meet a fabric performance standard, with the landlord then able to choose between a heating system standard or a smart readiness standard1. The cost-cap of £10,000 and the 10-year exemption validity period set out in the response indicate the spending threshold above which a landlord could register an exemption rather than carry out works1.
For landlords, the single compliance date of 1 October 2030 provides a fixed deadline, and properties already holding an EPC C would be recognised as compliant until that EPC expires, provided the EPC was graded C or above before 1 October 20291. The exclusion of short-term lets from the scope of the regulations means those properties would not be covered by the new standard as currently set out1.
The consultation process itself, and how proposals become rules, is set out in the site's guide to energy consultations and how policy is made. Separate energy efficiency standards for privately rented homes apply in Scotland.
What happens next
The government has said it will proceed with introducing new powers by Act of Parliament to implement the decisions set out in the government response, and will seek to lay a statutory instrument with the aim of it coming into force in 2027 to enable these updates to the PRS regulations1. No further detail on the timing of that legislation has been reported.