Labour’s Energy Secretary Ed Miliband has announced plans to raise energy-efficiency rules for social housing in a move that aims to reduce fuel bills for tenants and meet climate goals. His plan will become subject to consultation later this year, and Labour pledged to extend the rule to private landlords. The party’s existing pledge to force private landlords to meet the new standards by 2028 was scrapped by Conservative Chancellor Rishi Sunak due to concerns the increased costs could push up rents.
Labour later promised to overturn this election manifesto while giving private landlords a further two years to meet the standard. Miliband said that the new rules would apply to councils and housing associations in England and more widely would reflect Labour’s commitment to lifting one million people out of “fuel poverty,” emphasising the difference a Labour government makes.
Around 1.2 million of all social homes, approximately one-third, are rated D or below and will require new insulation, windows, and heating systems to be brought up to standard. Currently, in England and Wales, private properties must meet at least level E to be rented out.
The new plan proposed by the Labour party will require all social homes in England to achieve an energy performance certificate (EPC) rating of at least C by 2030 to improve energy efficiency, with the hope of reducing fuel bills for tenants in social housing. The National Housing Federation previously reported that the average cost of bringing a social housing property up to level C ranges between £3,000 and £4,000, and meeting the target by 2030 would require housing associations to double the present pace of retrofitting homes, Kevin Garvey, Head of Member Relations, said in response
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