The End Fuel Poverty Coalition (EFPC) has responded to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) and the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG)’s call for evidence on Energy Performance Certificates (EPCs). These are used to measure the energy performance of a building and are an imperative tool in promoting a buildings energy efficiency.
The EFPC’s response focuses on the role of EPCs in the private rented sector, particularly houses in multiple occupation (HMOs). Energy efficiency problems, such as damp and unhealthily low temperatures, are more prevalent in HMOs, with these properties often occupied by vulnerable people. However, the domestic Minimum Energy Efficiency Standards (MEES) only apply to HMOs with an EPC, of which there is no obligation for an EPC to be obtained for individual self-contained units with a property.
We welcome the Government’s recognition that the exclusion of HMOs from the Private Rented Sector Minimum Energy Efficiency Standard (MEES) should be addressed. The EFPC advocates for the introduction of a requirement for an EPC for the whole building to be produced when a single unit in the building is marketed for rent and strongly endorses that MEES and EPCs are better aligned.
You can download the EFPC’s full response here.