Government EPC Targets Scrapped

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has announced that the government is to scrap EPC targets for homes, meaning landlords will no longer be required to upgrade the energy efficiency of their properties.

The announcement came as part of a set of wider announcements relating to the government's pledge to UK Net Zero by 2050.

These include:

• Delay the ban on installing oil and LPG boilers, and new coal heating, for off-gas-grid homes to 2035, instead of phasing them out from 2026.
  The government says, "Many of these homes are not suitable for heat pumps, so this ensures homeowners are not having to spend around £10-15,000 on upgrading their homes in just three years’ time."

• Set an exemption to the phase-out of fossil fuel boilers, including gas, in 2035, so that households who will most struggle to make the switch to heat pumps or other low-carbon alternatives won’t have to do so. This is expected to cover about a fifth of homes, including off-gas-grid homes - those that will need expensive retrofitting or a very large electricity connection.

• Scrap policies that force landlords to upgrade the energy efficiency of their properties, but instead continue to encourage households to do so where they can.

• Raise the Boiler Upgrade Grant by 50% to £7,500 to help households who want to replace their gas boilers with a low-carbon alternative like a heat pump.

The government's original plan included targets for all new private rental properties to have a minimum Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) rating of ‘C’ by 2025, and all privately rented properties by 2028.

Speaking from Downing Street the Prime Minister said, “we will never force any household to do it”.

However, despite the Prime Minister's announcement, The Telegraph recently reported that some mortgage lenders will still insist on upgrades and some people will be turned down for mortgages as a result.

Up to date government guidance on energy efficiency can be found on the government's website.