Government consults on Energy Performance of Buildings reform
The government has launched its consultation on reform of the Energy Performance of Buildings regime, which will shape the future role of EPC regulations across England and Wales.
The consultation has been launched jointly by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government and the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero. It will run for 12 weeks until 26 February next year.
The consultation aims to examine five key areas: the updating of EPC metrics; the regulatory requirements for EPCs and display energy certificates; improvements to data management protocols; the strengthening of quality control; and revisions to air conditioning inspection reports.
The government has launched its consultation on reform of the Energy Performance of Buildings regime, which will shape the future role of EPC regulations across England and Wales.
The consultation has been launched jointly by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government and the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero. It will run for 12 weeks until 26 February next year.
The consultation aims to examine five key areas: the updating of EPC metrics; the regulatory requirements for EPCs and display energy certificates; improvements to data management protocols; the strengthening of quality control; and revisions to air conditioning inspection reports.
The aim is to create an EPC regulatory system that aligns government climate objectives with what it calls “consumer expectations” by introducing better building performance data and using it in a way that works for business and UK markets.
The consultation follows the news, broken by EG, that the government was going to review previously existing regulations around EPCs that would have made commercial owners of assets rated at EPC C or below subject to fines if they continued to let or sell them from 2030 onwards.
A government spokesperson said it planned to publish a response policy early next year that will set out full policy design and compliance dates.
Rob Wall, assistant director at the British Property Federation, said: “For all their flaws, EPCs have an important role in the market as a signal of a building’s environmental credentials, for investors and lenders, landlords and tenants. We agree that there is a need to improve EPCs, but any changes need to be carefully considered and carefully introduced in order not to disrupt the market.”
He added: “We also need to recognise that EPCs, even if improved, only provide a prediction of a building’s energy performance. The government should also support and encourage the use of in-use performance metrics, such as NABERS UK, which measure the actual energy performance of buildings in operation.”
The government is inviting responses from a wide range of stakeholders via an online survey.
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