Call of the month – Minimum Energy Efficiency Standards

This month, one of our advisers received an enquiry from a member asking about the new minimum energy efficiency standards (MEES) proposals and whether their gas boiler would have a negative impact on their Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) rating in future. 

The member called the NRLA member support team after hearing about the proposals to change the way minimum energy efficiency standards are measured, with a consultation proposing a minimum C grade for all privately rented homes by 2030.

The member told the adviser their property has a existing EPC rating of C, but said they were worried the fact the property has a gas boiler could see it downgraded in future.

What is the Government planning? 

The Government has proposed completely reworking the way EPCs are calculated. Instead of the current certificate, which gives one headline figure, they are proposing that EPCs are calculated using a number of different metrics.

These have not been confirmed yet, but are likely to favour low carbon heating over options like gas boilers.

This is likely to mean that some properties that are currently C rated will not meet the new standard.

They are also proposing using some of these new metrics for the minimum standard for private renting, which the Government is currently consulting on.

The Government proposes that under its new minimum energy efficiency standard, properties must first hit a new standard for ‘fabric performance’.

The fabric performance metric will measure how well the property retains heat and covers things like how well insulated the property is.

Once this has been met the landlord will have a choice of secondary metrics to pursue:

• Heating systems: this metric will probably favour low carbon options like heat pumps over gas boilers
• Smart readiness: this metric measures smart ready equipment such as battery storage, solar panels and smart meters.

The Government has also put forward a new higher cost cap of £15,000 for the required works.

Alongside this, it has proposed an exemption if the cost cap is reached and the property still doesn't meet the EPC C standard. It has proposed this exemption would be in place for 10 years.

When will these changes come into force?

The Government has indicated these proposals will come into effect in the second half of 2026, and the exact requirements won’t be published until then.  

Then, fom 2028, landlords would be unable to grant new tenancies if the property did not meet the new standard.

Properties that are rated EPC C or higher on the current system will be considered compliant until the expiry of their current EPC.

After that they will need to perform a new energy assessment and meet the new standard.

What does this mean for our landlord?

How landlords will respond to these proposals right now will depend on their current EPC rating and the cost of making improvements.

For properties which have an EPC C already, like this member's, it’s probably worth having a new assessment done in early 2026. This will mean the property is compliant with the new regulations for a decade without further work needing to be done.

For those that are not far away from the standard, it’s sensible to wait until after the new standard is published in late 2026 before taking any action, as work performed before then will not count towards the new £15,000 cost cap.

More information

• The NRLA recently hosted a webinar for its members about the MEES proposals. Click here to watch.
• To watch a video outlining the new proposals click here. 
• You can read more about the proposals here, with frequently asked questions available here.
• NRLA Chief Executive Ben Beadle has written to the Government about the new proposals. To read the letter in full click here. 
• For more information on the NRLAs ongoing energy efficiency campaign click here. 
• The NRLA’s award-winning Training Academy runs a course on  energy efficiency for landlords and a new retrofit course.  
• Part of the NRLA family, Safe2 is the leading provider of property safety certificates, including EPCs, with exclusive discounts available for NRLA members. Visit nrla.org.uk/safe2  ​​​​​​​