Property owners in Scotland need to start planning for how to renovate homes they both rent out, AND live in. Proposals and timeframes for MEES differ from England and Wales, but the key objectives remain the same – to reduce energy use and carbon emissions generated by our homes.

The Decent Homes Standard hasn’t been updated for 20 years.. no wonder its mere existence is news to many people! An overhaul is on the way. DHS sets ‘baseline expectations of housing quality in the social rented sector’. That definition is changing... From 2035, the Decent Homes Standard will also apply to rentals in the private sector.

The new Minimum Energy Efficiency Standards (MEES) for social housing in England will go live from April 2030. Landlords must ensure all homes comply by this deadline. If a property scores A-C using a current EPC, that's OK. If a property scores A-C under the fabric metric of the new EPC (available from the end of 2026), that's OK. For properties with a D, E, F or G rating, the landlord will need to make improvements to the energy performance.

The new Minimum Energy Efficiency Standards (MEES) go live from October 2030. Landlords must ensure all rentals comply by this deadline. If a property scores A-C using a current EPC, that's OK. If a property scores A-C under the fabric metric of the new EPC (available from the end of 2026), that's OK. For properties with a D, E, F or G rating, the landlord must spend up to £10,000 making fabric and service improvements outlined in the EPC recommendations.

The UK Government has set out plans to replace rdSAP10 assessments with the Home Energy Model. Domestic Energy Assessors (DEA) are still getting to grips with rdSAP10 (which was only implemented back in the summer) following years of delays. This consultation also considers how the new EPC metrics will be defined. You’ve got until March 18th, 2026 to have your say.

As the UK hurtles towards net zero and we cut our reliance on fossil fuels, heat pumps are set to become the de facto heating system for the vast majority of building projects. But what happens when heat pumps aren't suitable?

EPC certificates in Scotland will be changing from October 2026. There will still be an A-G rating. But to spice things up, we’ll get three of them, each considering different factors. The main metric will be a measurement of Fabric Performance. The better your house is at keeping the heat in, the better rating it will achieve. The Heat Retention Rating (HRR) is expected to award A ratings to the most insulated homes in Scotland (<30 kWh/m2 of heat loss), and B ratings <90.

The Scottish Government has published what EPC Reform is going to look like. SAP assessors are advised to strap in… it could be a bumpy ride! Every EPC in Scotland will need to be redone, using a more complicated assessment tool that isn’t ready yet, with a nation of re-trained SAP assessors attending training courses that haven’t been written yet, signing up to 'new enhanced accreditation scheme requirements' that don’t exist yet.

House of Commons committee gives blunt but honest review of the current EPC process, and calls for reform to improve the accuracy of the information on the energy certificates.

Domestic Energy Assessors are expected to switch to rdSAP10 from June 2025. This will improve the accuracy of EPC assessments.

The 2025 PRS MEES consultation suggests increasing the minimum energy performance of privately owned dwellings, and increasing the amount of

The 2025 PRS MEES consultation suggests using new-style EPCs to judge whether a privately rented home will need upgrading for better energy

The 2025 PRS MEES consultation suggests increasing the minimum energy efficiency standards of privately rented homes, forcing landlords to i