How Renters Can Find a New Energy-efficiency Home

With energy bills skyrocketing at the moment, it is more important than ever to ensure your home is as energy-efficient as possible. For property buyers, sellers and renters, energy efficiency is a high priority and can make a lot of difference ...

With energy bills skyrocketing at the moment, it is more important than ever to ensure your home is as energy-efficient as possible. For property buyers, sellers and renters, energy efficiency is a high priority and can make a lot of difference to your outgoings.

To help keep your household bills down and protect yourself from hefty winter fuel bills, you can ask your letting agent or prospective landlord about the energy-efficiency rating of a property you are interested in. It would help if you also asked what energy-saving measures are in place before you sign a tenancy agreement.

Here we have put together several questions to ask about the installed appliances' EPC rating, insulation, and energy efficiency.

1: Ask for the Energy Performance Certificate (EPC)

EPCs are a way for you to tell how energy efficient the property is. The rating is a good indicator of how much power the property uses and will provide you with an estimation of expected costs for your energy bills.

2: Is the property insulated?

Checking the type and quality of insulation is another way to tell you how well the property will retain heat to help keep energy consumption down. Rental properties are expected to have loft and wall insulation, but if the landlord has taken extra steps, such as floor and ceiling insulation, you can expect to save money on your fuel bills. Proper insulation can help to reduce energy consumption by 25 per cent, but the insulation needs to be of good quality and of minimally acceptable thickness to achieve these energy savings.

3: What type of heating is used?

Hot water and heating consume the most energy in our homes, accounting for more than half of our energy bills each year. Most homes use gas-fired central heating, which is the cheapest to operate and generates low levels of CO2 emissions. However, many landlords are now moving over to new low-energy heat pump systems when it comes time to replace the gas boiler, so tenants can save even more money if the property is heated in this way.

4: What is the age and condition of the boiler?

Old and inefficient boilers cost a lot of money to run. Some older-style boilers can have an energy efficiency of below 60 per cent, meaning that around 40 per cent of the energy you use will be wasted.

5: Is the property double-glazed?

Double-glazed doors and windows can help retain heat and significantly lower energy consumption. Check that the property is double-glazed and ask what rating it has. Older double-glazing can be E-rated, which is the least energy-efficient, so look for a property with A-rated double-glazing if possible. This can be checked from the BFRC rating scheme.

6: Does the property have energy-efficient appliances and lighting?

Household lighting and appliances are often overlooked when renting a house. The age of the lighting system and appliances can affect their efficiency. All household appliances have an energy label that tells you how much energy they consume. LED lighting is also far more energy-efficient than traditional lighting, so a new home with modern lighting and appliances will be a more cost-effective choice for renting.

Conclusion

More tenants are looking for energy-efficient homes than ever before to help avoid paying ever-increasing fuel bills. If you are thinking about moving home and looking for a new rental property, these questions will be a great help.

For landlords looking to let out a property, ensuring that your rental home is as energy-efficient as possible will attract more prospective tenants. It will be worth the investment to upgrade your home insulation and make other necessary improvements to help you meet new Government regulations for the rental sector.

If you're a landlord looking to let out a property, or a tenant looking for your next rental, our team will be happy to help.

Feel free to get in touch here.