With the Future Homes Standard set to go live across England next March, housebuilders will need to design in PV panels and install heat pumps to the vast majority of new buildings. That’s going to have a positive impact on Energy Performance Certificates... for now.

Last week, the UK Government (representing England and Wales), and the Scottish Government both released statements saying EPCs will remain unchanged until late 2027. To recap, the way Energy Performance Certificates look, how results are graded, and the way they are calculated, are all changing. When it happens, it will be the biggest refresh to EPCs since their creation in 2008.

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.

EPC certificates in England and Wales will be changing from October 2026. There will still be an A-G rating. But the single rating is being replaced with a dashboard of information, primarily focusing on fabric performance.

This consultation gives details for what the new EPC metrics may prioritise when assessors switch to the Home Energy Model. Fabric performance is likely to become the primary metric. It's highly possible that the whole of the UK will adopt a similar strategy in the coming years.

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