In April 2023, new Minimum Energy Efficiency Standard (MEES) regulations came into force that made it unlawful to let a commercial property with an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) of less than ‘E’.
However, the government offered no further guidance and at last October’s Conservative Party Conference it scrapped plans to require all residential rental properties to have an EPC rating of at least ‘C’ by 2028. This prompted some experts to speculate that the proposed commercial targets of an EPC minimum of ‘C’ by 2027 and a minimum of ‘B’ by 2030 could be watered down.
With Labour also rowing back on its ESG commitments last month by ditching its £28bn green investment pledge, EPC and MEES regulations are clearly not a political priority in the run-up to the general election. But what about afterwards? What does the future hold for MEES regulations, both on the commercial and on the residential front? Will EPCs be back on the political agenda or will they continue to be kicked into the long grass as firms continue to navigate the EPC minefield?
A panel of leading industry figures joined BE News editor-in-chief Liz Hamson and keynote speaker John Gummer, the Rt Hon Lord Deben and a former Conservative minister, to debate these and other questions at an audience participation event of more than 100 market representatives with co-sponsors Maples Teesdale and MEES Solutions and host ING Media. Click here to read the full write-up of the event.
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