Landlord Property Audit Kit – Section 3:7

Improving your property’s carbon footprint

The government have indicated that they will be requiring all landlords to bring their property up to to energy performance level C by 2030.

You should, therefore, as part of this audit, consider the energy efficiency of your property and whether further work needs to be done.

1. Making properties air tight

This is the first thing to consider.  It is more likely to be a problem with older properties where problems may include

• Gaps around windows and doors
• Gaps in floorboards (thick carpet and underlay can help here)
• Original breathable plaster walls
• Chimneys (you can buy products to block off chimney draughts, such as Chimella)
• Old slate roofs

2. Insulation

This includes loft insulation, floor insulation and insulation of the walls.

• Most properties should have loft insulation as this is relatively inexpensive and easy to do.
• Floor insulation can be installed at the time you renew the carpets.
• Wall insulation depends on the type of wall.  Cavity wall insulation is fairly easy to install and reasonably priced compared to solid wall insulation which is a lot more expensive and problematic.  

Note, incidentally, that in some situations, cavity wall insulation is inadvisable.  For example, water ingress from strong wet winds can sometimes bridge the cavity and cause issues.    There is an explanatory video here.

3. Windows and Doors

Ideally, all windows should be double-glazed.  Triple-glazed windows are said to be better but are more expensive.

Note that double-glazed windows should now have ‘trickle vents’, which will help prevent condensation.

Doors should also be replaced with energy-efficient doors with double glazing (if there are any glass panels) and be draught-free.

4. Energy efficient heating

Most houses will have gas central heating.  Gas is a fossil fuel so long term these will need to be phased out (unless maybe we are able to replace the current gas supply with green gas).

If you are going to stick with gas for the time being, upgrading the boiler to a more energy-efficient model will help, as will lagging pipes.  This will help keep the cost down for your tenants.

Smart meters can help your tenants regulate their electricity use and save energy and costs.  Some utility companies will supply and fit these free of charge.  Find out more here.

Solar panels are a good way to reduce a property’s carbon footprint and energy costs, but these are expensive and are not suitable or cost-effective for all properties.  It’s worth checking with your Local Authority as sometimes they offer group buying schemes such as Solar Together.

Batteries – Note that if solar is inappropriate for your property, installing batteries will allow your tenants to take advantage of cheap tariff times (for example, using the Octopus Agile tariff).  However, if you also want them to be able to sell energy back to the grid, this may not be possible if your installer does not provide an MCG certificate.  So check this before instructing them.

Heat pumps are much talked about, but can be very expensive and are not suitable for all properties. However, if they are suitable for your property and are affordable, you should try to install them when doing improvement work.  

5. Your appliances

If you provide appliances for your tenants, such as kitchen ‘white goods’, try to choose the most energy-efficient versions with a good eco-rating. 

In the bathroom, consider appliances which will reduce water use, such as ‘low flush’ toilets.

Needless to say all your lightbulbs should be LED.

Car charging point

This will not necessarily improve the property’s energy rating, but it will be attractive for tenants with an electric vehicle.  

There is at the time of writing a government grant for renters and flat owners. You can find an EV chargepoint installer here.

Further information and grant aid

One of the problems with this topic is the shortage of suitable experts and tradespeople.  The following websites have further information which can help:

• The government page ‘find ways to save energy in your home‘
• The Energy Saving Trust
• Energy UK

Note that grants are sometimes available (for example, the boiler upgrade scheme), but this can depend on where the property is situated and whether your tenants are on benefit or not.

And finally

New rules due to come in, will require documentation, such as receipts and reports, to prove that upgrades have been carried out.  If these are not provided, a lower EPC rating may be given even if improvements have actually been made. 

So it is essential to have a clear paper trail if you want to avoid unnecessary retrofit costs.