Private Renters EPC Targets - Consultation

Now the Miliband media wagon has calmed down over C-rated EPC targets, I've been digging into the detail of the uncatchily titled ‘Improving the Energy Performance of Privately Rented Homes’ consultation.

AI image showing loft insulation being installed in a loftspace where the owners really should be making a feature of those lovely rooflights

As it stands today, privately rented homes need to achieve an E-rated EPC, unless exemptions apply. Landlords of F or G rated certificates are expected to spend up to £3,500 to improve the energy performance of the dwellings they rent out. 💰 

The proposal suggests rolling out stricter targets from 2028 (new tenancies) and 2030 (all remaining), and increasing the cost cap on landlords by an eye watering 429%, to £15,000. 💰 💰 💰 💰 

There’s an issue with the recent headlines about C-rated targets… the days of the A-G EPC are numbered.

The concurrent consultation on EPC Reform recommends scrapping the single letter score, replacing it with a gaggle of metrices, giving a more detailed overview of the property, and hopefully making the EPC more user-friendly.

You can find out more about the proposed changes to EPC metrics in earlier blog posts.

The consultation says an equivalent of a C rating on today's EPC will look like this:

🟢 Firstly, it’s proposed the new EPC will have a fabric score. We don’t know if that will be marked out of 100, or 5, or traffic lights or a selection of increasingly-ominous words (My personal choice 😁 )

Whatever the new rating looks like, properties that fall short of the target will be given a list of recommended fabric upgrades. This won't be anything out of the ordinary: loft insulation, triple glazing, cavity insulation...

The landlord needs to make these upgrades - if viable - and see if those improvements get the property to a C-equivalent.

If it doesn’t, and if there’s still some of that £15,000 left in the pot, we move onto part 2, which comes with two choices...

🔴 Swallow the red pill to improve the heating score on the new-look EPC. Again, we don’t know what that’s going to look like, but we expect heat pumps will score very well ✅, and oil boilers will score poorly ❌.

The aim of this improvement is to encourage electric, high efficiency heating and hot water, and discourage fossil fuels.

🔵 Or, swallow the blue pill to improve the 'Smart readiness' score on the new-look EPC. This is the most baffling of all the new proposed metrics, but will encourage the installation of PV panels, batteries, and load shifting tech.

I know... EPCs are generated using rdSAP, and that’s not ready for the Smart Ready revolution. I’ll cover that next time! 

You’ve just read the Government’s preferred approach, but the consultation asks for other ideas, and suggests alternatives.

Here's a link to the consultation:

https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/improving-the-energy-performance-of-privately-rented-homes-2025-update