Government proposals revealed today (Friday 10 June 2011) to improve the energy efficiency of homes rented from a landlord are too weak, too slow and too vague, Friends of the Earth has warned.

The proposed amendments to the Energy Bill, which are due to be debated by MPs on Tuesday, follow an announcement by Energy Secretary Chris Huhne last month that “the rental of the very worst performing properties – those rated F and G – will be banned through a minimum energy efficiency standard.”

Friends of the Earth’s Warm Homes campaigner Dave Timms, said:

“The Government promised to set a clear a minimum energy efficiency standard for private rented homes, but these proposals are too vague, riddled with loopholes and lacking in urgency.

“It’s scandalous to expect vulnerable tenants living in dangerously cold homes to wait until 2018 for the minimum standard to begin – and they also need protection from eviction if they ask for better insulation.

“MPs must turn up the heat on Ministers to take tougher action to protect tenants living in cold homes.”

Chris Huhne’s pledge last month to act on energy efficiency was warmly welcomed by Friends of the Earth as a significant step forward in the campaign to make it an offence for a to landlord to let a dangerous cold home.  But today’s proposals are inadequate:

• It won’t start until starts in 2018. Campaigners and 179 MPs have called for in a parliamentary motion (EDM 653) have called for it to come in in 2016. 2018 is two years after the Government’s legal target to end fuel poverty.
• It fails to set a clear minimum standard - Energy Performance Certificate Band E, as promised by Chris Huhne in Parliament (10 May 2011).
• The proposed minimum standard may not rise over time.
• It does not make it an offence to market the coldest homes for rent.
• The legislation doesn’t apply to lettings agents.
• It does not establish a register of landlords which could be used to give advice about the Green Deal and other green measures.
• It does not allow councils to carry out energy efficiency improvements when the landlord has refused to do so, as an alternative to issuing a fine.
• It leaves tenants who ask for energy efficiency improvements from their landlord unprotected from eviction.

ENDS

Notes to editors:

1. Almost 40 organisations including Friends of the Earth, Crisis, Consumer Focus and Citizens Advice have called a clear minimum energy efficiency standard so that the worst insulated rented properties (with an energy efficieny rating of F and G) can’t be let after 2016.

2. 179 MPs have signed Early Day Motion 653 calling for a minimum energy efficicny standard from 2016.

3. Research by the EST for Friends of the Earth showed that tenants in the worst performing homes (those rated F or G) would save on average £488 off their fuel bill if the property were improved to a minimum Band E standard. Improving all private rented F and G homes would also save an estimated 1.87 MtCO2 annually.

4. Research for Friends of the Earth, by Consumer Focus, concludes that a minimum energy efficiency standard of Band E for private rented homes could take 150,000 private rented households out of fuel poverty.

key statistics on cold rented homes:

• The number of households renting privately in England has risen by 1.0 million since 2005, from 2.4 million to 3.4 million in 2010 – over 15% of the housing stock. Wales has 140,804 (11% of the housing stock) and Northern Ireland has 81,000 private rented properties (11.5%)

• People living in private rented homes are over four times more likely to be living in a cold home than people living in social rented homes.

• The private rented sector has a greater proportion of the most energy inefficient homes - those in Energy Performance Certificate Band G. They are twice as common in the private rented sector as in other sectors.

• Half the properties in the private rented sector are not considered to be of a ‘decent’ standard by the Government.

• 20% of private rented sector households live in fuel poverty. This rises to 42% in the households living in the worst insulated (F and G rated) properties. There are about 680,000 rented properties in England with the worst energy efficiency ratings of F and G.

• The health consequences of poorly insulated properties are well established. According to the Chief Medical Officer: “People living in poorly heated housing live in greater danger. Old, badly insulated properties offer significantly less protection against the risks of the cold than more modern, warmer dwellings.”

• According to the Chartered Institute of Environmental Health the cost to the NHS in England of treating those made ill by living in poorly insulated private rented homes is £145m annually.

“From 2016, any tenant or their representatives asking for their landlord’s consent to make reasonable energy efficiency improvements cannot be refused. From 2018, the rental of the very worst performing properties—those rated F and G—will be banned through a minimum energy efficiency standard.”
Chris Huhne MP, 10 May 2011

“We have announced that we intend to regulate the private rented sector so that there will be a clear prohibition on letting F and G-rated homes in the future, and that will provide a clear target for the private rented sector to go ahead.” Chris Huhne MP, 19 May 2011