Landlords Need to Get Prepared Now for Energy Changes

April 2018 sees changes to the way Energy Performance Certificates (EPC) are awarded. Landlords need to start thinking now about how they can ensure their properties are energy efficient – which will save money through lower energy bills and make the property more attractive to tenants.

Here are seven top tips to consider as recently featured on property industry website landlordtoday.co.uk

Home insulation

Home insulation is one of the best things you can invest in order to reduce heat loss and improve your EPC rating. Here are some options to consider:

External wall insulation

This type of insulation is suitable for homes with solid brick walls - generally those built before 1920. It’s quick and easy to install, causing minimum disruption, and has the extra benefit of improving the property’s appearance and value. Heating loss is reduced by up to 45% with annual savings of around £500.

Cavity wall insulation

Cavity wall insulation is also a quick process, often complete in less than two hours. It is specifically for homes built post-1920 as the external walls are made of two layers with a gap - or cavity - between them. Cavity wall insulation fills that gap, keeping the warmth in to save energy. Expect typical savings of around £160 per year.

Loft insulation

It may come as a surprise, but an uninsulated or badly insulated house can lose up to 33% of its heat through the roof. Under Government recommendations, loft insulation should be at least 270mm thick - typically made up of a 100mm layer running between the joists and a 170mm top layer running perpendicular to the joists. Cost savings for this system are roughly the same as cavity wall insulation.

Room in roof insulation

This has become more and more popular over the years as people choose to make the most of their loft by turning it into another bedroom, or office.

The installation is carried out by securing ‘insulating batts’ to the walls and ceiling of the room and slabs of insulation are fitted between them. The insulation is then covered with plasterboard and skimmed ready for decoration. Opting for room in roof insulation could lead to savings of over £500 per annum.

Smart storage heaters

Exactly what it says on the tin; smart storage heaters store and then release heat at pre-set times and temperatures. Not only are they up to 27% cheaper to run than a standard storage heater, they’re up to 47% cheaper to run than an electric convector heater, and often come with a boost option for unexpected heat demands (i.e. on those cold winter nights!) Look around for smart storage heaters that will benefit your EPC rating as not all of them do.

LED bulbs

LED bulbs are slightly more expensive, but use 90% less energy than an incandescent or halogen bulb. They also last up to 25 times longer (drastically reducing replacement costs), are safer to work with and are more much environmentally friendly as they contain no harmful substances like Mercury (often found in CFL and halogen bulbs).

For more any energy saving information visit: greenvisionenergy.co.uk which provided the information featured in this article.

With most regulation changes within the lettings industry it really pays not to leave it to the last minute to make sure your property or properties fall into line.

Get ahead and start enjoying the energy savings as soon as possible.

Thanks for reading,

Mark