FAQs: New digital service to improve energy efficiency performance

The UK Government has unveiled plans to reform the Energy Performance of Buildings (EPB) framework in England and Wales, with sweeping changes to the way Energy Performance Certificates (EPCs) are structured, used, and valued. Both commercial and residential agents, landlords, and property owners will need to renew their EPCs more often, and some exemptions, for example for heritage properties, may no longer apply.

Propertymark has long campaigned for incentives and realistic funding for landlords, tenants, and homeowners to upgrade their properties so we can see more energy-efficient homes, lower bills, and reduce emissions in the property sector. We are pleased to support National Energy Action’s Fuel Poverty Awareness Day on 27 November 2024, which highlights how the continuing energy crisis is stretching household, leaving many people struggling in cold, unsafe and unhealthy homes.

The Northern Ireland Executive’s draft Programme for Government identifies providing access to affordable, sustainable, and quality housing as an immediate priority and acknowledges the pressing need for action. Propertymark supports this aim and has made specific recommendations to accelerate progress.

In 2021, the UK Government's Heat and Buildings Strategy outlined a commitment of £338 million for the Heat Network Transformation Programme to scale up low-carbon heat network deployment. Fast forward to 2024 and a pilot program is now rolled pilot program across Hull, Newcastle, Middlesbrough, Rochdale, and Stafford to start the reduction of reliance on traditional heating methods. It will see the zoning of areas where communal heating solutions would be most cost-effective, calling on data such as building type, size, and existing energy use.