The Environment The Real Winner As Energy Efficiency Increases

Online, February 4, 2013 (Newswire.com) - The environment and bill-payers alike are benefitting from the trend of increasing energy efficiency that is sweeping the UK. With improved laws dictating how landlords and agents approach and present the energy efficiency of a property, there has never been so much impetus placed upon the importance of lowering energy consumption.

The self-titled 'Greenest Government Ever' has gone to great lengths to promote energy efficiency in UK properties over the past couple of years in an effort to decrease the energy consumption in private and professional properties. These changes and implementations have led to a slow but steady improvement in many people's attitudes to energy conservation.

The Association of Residential Letting Agents (ARLA) has reported that 61% of UK landlords have no properties in the F & G categories of energy efficiency, a claim that only 50% of landlords could make in 2011. This is largely due to upgrades of older properties in terms of their energy efficiency.

Laws dictating when and how Energy Performance Certificates (EPCs) must be demonstrated have led to a surge in property and energy consumption improvements. EPCs must now be demonstrated on all advertising material regarding the sale or rental of a property. Additionally, increased education amongst tenants and buyers has created greater need for energy efficiency. More tenants are aware of the financial implications that are intertwined with energy efficiency. Tenants now realise that the greater the energy efficiency, the potentially lower the energy costs. This could significantly alter a prospective tenant's decision whether to rent a property.

This increased education is demonstrated by the fact that year-on-year, the number of respondents to ARLA's research who do not know what bracket their property falls into has fallen by 12%. This education has spurred landlords on to rectify faltering EPC ratings.

Managing Director of ARLA, Ian Potter revealed: "EPCs have attracted considerable scrutiny in the past, but it would appear that landlords are now paying increased attention to the efficiency of their properties. This understanding is complimented by rising awareness of the 'split incentive' offered by the Government's Green Deal proposal for the PRS. However, whether this awareness translates into uptake remains to be seen.

"Increasingly, savvy tenants will ask to see a property's EPC or even ask about previous bills, therefore it is prudent for landlords to have a clear picture of the performance of their properties."

As more and more people become aware of EPCs and their permutations, energy efficiency looks set to increase.