On 7 February the Domestic Premises (Energy Performance) Bill had its second reading in the House of Lords.
The Bill requires the Secretary of State to ensure that domestic properties have a minimum energy performance rating of C on an Energy Performance Certificate. However, despite the Lord’s initial support for the Bill at this stage the Government has announced that they will not support it. This means that it is extremely unlikely that the Bill will go further or ever be passed into law.
During the Lords discussion of the Bill Lord Duncan of Springbank, a Conservative Junior Minister made some interesting comments which agents and landlords may find useful. Lord Duncan has stressed that the Government is committed to delivering a heat policy road map. This policy will look at reducing emissions on buildings and addressing energy efficiency. A consultation is therefore proposed on raising minimum energy performance standards in the private rental sector. The consultation will also look at setting requirements for lenders to improve energy performance and phasing out the installation of fossil fuel heating systems in off-gas grid properties.
In reality what this means is that the sector will be consulted and asked to consider the possibility of raising the current minimum energy performance rating of E. Furthermore, the Government will be interested to hear from other institutions such as lenders to discover whether raising the minimum performance rating is viable and enforceable. Such a consultation is expected to take place soon however, any change in the law is unlikely to happen this year.
Disclaimer
The contents of this blog post is not legal advice and is provided for general information purposes only. If legal advice is needed readers should contact a solicitor. No responsibility for any information contained within this post is accepted and PainSmith solicitors accepts no liability in respect of the contents or for action taken based on this post.
Published 13 February 2020
