Property owners urged to consider energy efficient products ahead of deadline for MEES
With less than 12 months to go before the Government’s new energy bill comes into effect, Ideal Commercial Boilers is urging property investors and landlords to act now to get their properties up to standard and avoid lost revenues.
From 1 April 2018 energy efficiency regulations in non-domestic buildings will mean that landlords of commercial rented properties – including public sector landlords – cannot grant a tenancy to new or existing tenants if their property has an EPC rating of F or G. And, from 1 April 2023, landlords must not continue letting a non-domestic property if that property has an EPC rating of band F or G.
A report from global real estate services firm Cushman & Wakefield estimates that nearly 20 per cent of commercial properties in England and Wales could fall short of new Government energy standards due to come into effect next year.
Darren Finley, chief commercial officer at Ideal Commercial Boilers, says: “With the new energy efficiency legislation less than a year away, it is important to act now rather than wait for the changes to come into force. There is mounting pressure to meet the new energy standards, particularly where tenancies are due for renewal in the first quarter of 2018.
“While replacing an inefficient boiler with an efficient one is the obvious solution, a wide range of technology and maintenance measures can contribute to an improved EPC rating. We would urge landlords to work with specialist contractors and consider the benefits of routine inspections protecting the whole heating system, as well as adopting preventative maintenance, monitoring gas bills, introducing controls and water treatment,” he adds.
Property owners run the risk of their assets decreasing in value if they don’t make the right improvements in advance of the change in regulation. Many landlords will find that relatively small changes will contribute significantly to making them compliant.
Financial schemes are available to help offset the cost of increasing energy efficiency ratings and in many cases, enabling commercial landlords to offset the cost of the equipment through energy bill savings. Once the equipment has been paid for, they have the option to make their rental proposition more attractive by increasing rental margins or passing the saving on to tenants.
