Landlords prepare for energy efficiency

It’s good to be green and as a nation, we are slowly discovering the positive effects of being more eco-friendly. Not only is it better for the environment, it’s often much easier on our wallets too.

With this in mind, there’s little wonder as to why the Government are putting laws in place to try and make us all as efficient as possible. In fact, a new energy efficient legislation has been announced very recently and the good news is that it benefits both tenants and landlords. A double whammy.

The new regulation states that from 1st October 2016, all privately rented properties must have an energy efficiency rating of at least “E” or above. This indicates a basic level of energy efficiency in the home and complies with the Energy Act 2011. It basically means you’re doing your bit to save energy.

Landlords will not be able to take on new tenancies after this date without making energy improvements, so it’s wise to get cracking so you can rest easy knowing that it’s done and dusted. It’s likely that some newer properties will already have a good energy rating so you can always check this yourself or ask your letting agent to find out for you.

Although it may seem like you’re forking out left, right and centre for more energy saving bumph at first, it will actually save money in the long term, especially if energy payments are included in part of the tenancy. Energy and fuel bills will go down significantly as a result of making changes and a simple action such as loft insulation is already predicted to save the UK £5 billion overall! It’s true what they say about spending money to make money, you know.

Even if you’re not a bill paying landlord, you still might want to make these changes sooner rather than later. As part of the new legislation, by 2018 all existing tenancies must comply with these rules, not just new ones. So if you want to avoid breaking the law, you should get cracking.  

Here’s just some of the ways you can make your property more energy efficient:

Home insulation

This can be done in your loft, walls, floors and pipes. Insulation traps heat and keeps homes nice and cosy resulting in lower bills and less cash to pay out. It also means that there’s less of a need to crank up the heating...

Heating and boilers

Some old style boilers don’t work efficiently and can be costly to run, so treat your property to a new’un and watch your bills get cut in half.

Small appliances 

Something you may not even give a second thought to, but everything from TVs to kettles have energy ratings so check these out when furnishing a property.

Light bulbs

Energy saving light bulbs can be found in any standard supermarket and are a simple and easy way to make a property more efficient (and they’re not too costly either.)

Whilst all buildings will be part of the new legislation, there are some exemptions such as places of worship, listed buildings and premises that are due to be demolished. Because, let’s face it, what would be the point in that?

New laws will affect all landlords and you must act soon to avoid breaking the rules. Not only can Ascend help to comply with the new energy regulations but we can also give tips on how to save energy on existing properties too. Chat to us today on 0161 637 8336 to find out more.