Energy efficiency in rented accomodation
Household energy use accounts for almost half of the UK's total carbon emissions. Although recent government figures show that there has been some improvement, this has mainly been seen in the homes of owner occupiers and in the social sector. In privately rented properties carbon emissions are generally around 500kg greater than those in the rest of the housing sector.
It's easy to see why this is the case. Owner occupiers obviously have an interest in saving money, while councils and housing associations are subject to various rules and standards with regard to energy efficiency. Private landlords however, face far less regulation and have little financial incentive for implementing energy saving measures.
As Shelter, the housing charity, points out: “tenants would welcome improved environmental efficiency, but they have very little leverage to try and achieve this. All that they can do is inform their landlords about the schemes that do exist, but, unfortunately, the problem is that the landlord has no vested interest in increasing the energy efficiency of the property.”
Despite the fact that it may well be an uphill struggle to persuade your landlord to make use of energy efficiency schemes, there are a number available. These include government grants and tax free allowances for the installation of energy efficient measures. Current schemes include:
The Landlords Energy Saving Allowance (LESA):
This scheme was introduced by the government to encourage landlords to install energy-efficient products to their properties by allowing them to claim a reduction in their tax. The scheme currently covers landlords expenditure on loft and cavity wall insulation, hot water system insulation, draught proofing and floor insulation. A maximum of £1,500 can be claimed per property. The scope and products covered by the scheme was extended by Gordon Brown in the 2006 budget and the scheme will now run until 2015 (it was initially set to end in 2009).
For more information see: www.hmrc.gov.uk.
Discounts from energy providers:
Energy providers have been charged by the government with providing discounts on the cost of providing cavity and loft insulation in properties. More information on these can be found on suppliers websites and via the website of the Energy Saving Trust (which also offers advice on other energy saving and environmentally friendly measures everyone can take up). However, once again as a tenant it is likely to be difficult for you to get any of this implemented. As the FAQ section of the Energy Saving Trust's website says itself: "It can sometimes be difficult to persuade private landlords to improve the property but there are energy efficiency grants that may be available to you with the landlords permission."
The Energy Trust Website can be found at: www.energysavingtrust.org.uk
Warm Front & Council grants:
Brighton & Hove council's main focus in improving the energy efficiency in the homes of private tenants is through the promotion of grants to eligible applicants. In this respect the first option is the Warm Front Scheme. Warm Front grants of up to £2,700 are available for people living in rented property who are in receipt of certain benefits. This grant can be used to pay for a variety of energy saving measures including loft insulation, draft proofing, hot water tank insulation, cavity wall insulation and central heating. Tenants who are eligible for Warm Front are required to obtain their landlord's permission before they can proceed with the works.
As the Warm Front grant has a fairly low cost ceiling there is a significant number of cases when the applicant is required to contribute to the cost. In these cases the council may fund the shortfall through its Warm Front Excess Charge Grant scheme.
For more information see: www.warmfront.co.uk
Aside from Warm Front grants, there are a number of other grants that may be available from the council which can help improve energy efficiency in the home. Depending on the circumstances grants may be available to pay for all or part of the cost of installing such energy efficient measures as cavity wall insulation, loft insulation, central heating, replacement boilers and solar water heating.
In Brighton and Hove the local grant schemes are managed by The Brighton & Hove Energy Action Partnership. Private tenants aged 60 or over who are not eligible for Warm Front and who live in properties in Council Tax bands A, B or C may be able to obtain a grant funded by the council (Occupier's Minor Insulation Grant), with the permission of their landlord.
In the case of heating installations (Landlords Minor Heating Grants) the council offers grants to qualifying landlords, rather than to tenants. To qualify a landlord is required to be a member of the council's Landlord Accreditation Scheme, or the property registered or licensed under the council's HMO Registration or HMO Licensing schemes. Qualifying landlords may also be able to apply for insulation grants.
Brighton & Hove Council has also recently established a new Renewable Energy Grant scheme for Solar Water Heating. Once again, this may be available to private landlords under the same qualifying criteria as the Landlord's Minor Heating Grants. The grant offered is £600 towards the cost of an installation (in addition to £400 from the government-funded Low Carbon Buildings Programme).
Grants awarded for privately rented properties in Brighton & Hove are very much in a minority compared to the owner-occupied sector.
It is important to note that the funding allocated for the council’s grant schemes is limited. The availability of grant funding under any of the local schemes cannot be guaranteed and is dependent on sufficient funding remaining unspent at the time of application.
For more information about the availability of grants call the Brighton & Hove Energy Action Partnership on Freephone 0800 107 4100 or see: Brighton & Hove City Council - Home Energy Efficiency
For more information see: www.brighton-hove.gov.uk
Act On CO2 Calculator:
The governments recently launched ‘Act on CO2’ calculator is a good place to start to find ways of reducing your carbon footprint. Aside from information on making structural changes to properties to reduce energy wastage the site also offers more prosaic tips on cutting energy consumption such as switching to green energy tariffs, switching to energy efficient light bulbs and not leaving appliances on standby.
The ‘Act on CO2’ Calculator can be found at: http://actonco2.direct.gov.uk/index.html.
Photo by aeu04117 used under creative commons