Landlords given tips on greening properties

rman.co.uk - 14th February 2011

Landlords have been handed tips on the best ways to make their properties greener in a bid to attract tenants.

According to letting agent body ARLA, the governments Green Deal is set to offer landlords financing in order to improve the energy efficiency of the homes they rent out.

Older properties will be particularly targeted under the scheme, with any houses with an energy performance certificate rating of F or G to be updated first.

Ian Potter, operations manager of ARLA commented: "landlords can already take advantage of a tax allowance of up to £1,500 for these energy efficiency improvements through the landlords's energy saving allowance."

He added that it makes sense for landlords to carry out the necessary work as soon as possible in order to make immediate cost savings.

Fines for missing EPCs

PropertyDrum - February 2011

Firms that alter their business premises may find themselves liable for providing their landlord with a new Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) or face a hefty fine warns Paul Burbidge, a partner at Gullands solicitors in Maidstone. Read More

EPCs should play a bigger role in home energy efficiency advice says FMB

build.co.uk - 1st February 2011

The Federation of Master Builders (FMB) has welcomed news that the data from Energy Performance Certificates (EPCs) will be used to offer advice and information to home owners and tenants about how to improve their property and reduce their fuel bills.

The FMB has said for a long time that the EPC should play a bigger role in improving the energy efficiency of the UK's housing stock.

Brian Berry, Director of External Affairs at the FMB said: "The retrofit revolution is an enormous challenge. In order for the Government's Green Deal to successfully deliver the carbon savings required, home owners and tenants must understand the benefits of home energy efficiency improvements. For a long time the FMB has said Energy Performance Certificates should be used to trigger property upgrades. This can only start to happen if local authorities and other trusted and accredited companies have access to information about the energy performance of the homes in their area".

Minister unveils Green Deal advice plan for tenants and homeowners

24dasg.com - 31st January 2011

Junior housing minister Andrew Stunnell has outlined plans for a new scheme that will enable homeowners and tenants to receive tailored advice about how to make their homes greener and save money, delivered direct to their door.

Compnaies offering services to upgrade homes through the Government's Green Deal will be able to access information about the energy efficiency of properties that have an Energy Performance Certificate, and deliver tailored advice to individual homes. Proposals published last week set out how the system for accessing this information will work.

The Green Deal is the Government's new and radical way of making energy efficiency available to all, whether people own or rent their property. Green Dea providers will carry out work to upgrade properties so they become warmer and cheaper to run. Homeowners and tenats will have the opportunity to save money with all the costs to upgrade the property paid back from the savings on energy bills.

Green Bank 'could be in Edinburgh'

HeraldScotland - 13th January 2011

The UK's new Green Investment bank could be based in Edinburgh, Energy Secretary Chris Huhne has told MSPs.

He said the city had a "very special advantage" because its financial institutions had a strong track record in lending to renewable energy companies.

But Mr Huhne warned Holyrood's Economy, Energy and Tourism committee that Edinburgh faced stiff competition from other financial centres.

The bank, anonounced by the UK Government last year, is being set up with £1 billion of public money to channel private sector funding, which it will raise in similar way to regular banks, into low carbon businesses.

Mr Huhne said: "One of the reasons that Edinburgh has a particular claim as the potential site for the GIB is precisely because of the substantial expertise that exists in Edinburgh on the energy financig side."

UK & Scotland sign up to low-carbon collaboration with China

energyefficiencynews.co.uk - 11th January 2011

UK Energy and Climate Secretary Chris Huhne yesterday pledged to work fomrally with china to promote low-carbon technologies.

A memorandum of understanding (MoU) was signed by Huhne and Chinese Vice-Premier Li Keqiangm who is on a four-day trade mission to the UK, to establish a UK-China Low Carbon Co-operation (LCC) initiative.

"[This] agreement demonstrates that the UK and China want to accelerate the shift to low carbon and are committed to greater collaboration on energy markets and low carbon technology," said Huhne yesterday.

Landlords face fines for energy inefficiency

guardian.co.uk - 2nd November 2010

The Government is to beef up legislation forcing landlords to pay a fine if the rent properties without proper insulation.

The new structures on the quality of homes are included in the "green deal" which the government will announce today and put before parliament in December.

By the autumn of 2012, the government says the scheme will enable homeowners to make their house of flat energy-efficient with no immediate payments.

Companies would install loft and cavity wall insulation draught proof doors and windows and the homeowner would pay the firm back through their energy bills over up to 20 years. The aim would be for the homeowner to barely notice the repayments due to the lower energy bills.

Ministers believe that about 14m of Britons 27m homes, offices and buildings could be fitted with energy-saving measure in the next 10 years and that jobs in the energy efficiency refurbishment sector could rise from its current 27,000 to 100,000.