As the government announces plans for the biggest potential boost to home energy standards in history it is envisaged that over a million households will be lifted out of fuel poverty.

The new plans are to boost minimum energy efficiency standards for all rented homes to bring all homes up to a decent standard by 2030.

What have families been grappling with?

Families across the country have been grappling with the consequences of high energy bills for too long amid the cost-of-living crisis, with too many tenants exposed to the harsh daily reality of cold, draughty homes and ultimately expensive bills.

Some might say that government intervention is well overdue in transforming living standards and delivering the safety and security of warmer, cheaper homes free from damp and mould.

Currently, private rented homes can be rented out if they meet Energy Performance Certificate E, social rented homes however have no minimum energy efficiency standard at all – but now the Energy Secretary has pledged to boost the minimum energy efficiency standards for private and social rented homes by 2030.

What are the next steps for the government?

The next step for the government is consulting on proposals for private and social homes to achieve the Energy Performance Certificate C or equivalent by 2030. These consultations are due to take place before the end of the year.

Click here to get your EPC rating – /energy-water/epc/checker/

Energy Performance Certificates

An Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) tells you how energy-efficient a property is. It would be best if you had an EPC  in England and Wales when you’re:

  • selling a property
  • renting out a property
  • building a new property

You must order an EPC for potential buyers and tenants before you market your property to sell or rent.

In Scotland, it is not compulsory to have an EPC rating though there is talk of legislation changing this in the future.

An EPC contains:

  • information about a property’s energy use and typical energy costs
  • steps to improve a property’s energy efficiency and save money

An EPC gives a property an energy efficiency rating from A (best) to G (worst) and is valid for 10 years.

What else is the government implementing to create warmer homes?

The government has announced a new Warm Homes: Local Grant to help low-income homeowners and private tenants with energy performance upgrades and cleaner heating. The new Warm Homes: Local Grant, which replaces the Local Authority Delivery scheme, will start delivering in 2025. The expression of interest window for local authorities wishing to participate will open in October this year. Low-income, private tenants will be eligible for support, with the agreement of their landlord. Private tenants are also eligible for support under the Energy Company Obligation. Further details of the Warm Homes Plan will be set out through the Spending Review.

The government is continuing the Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme, and the Warm Homes: Social Housing Fund, which replaces the Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund, to support social housing providers and tenants.

Guidance for Wave 3 of the Warm Homes: Social Housing Fund, opens for applications in the week commencing 30 September, and here the government aims to transform homes by making them cleaner and cheaper to run, from installing new insulation to rolling out solar and heat pumps.

To see if you qualify contact Consumer Rights here.