The government has announced long-awaited reforms to Energy Performance Certificates (EPCs), alongside finally confirming new compliance deadlines for landlords.

The changes follow a consultation carried out in 2024 and form what the government describes as a “partial response”, with further detail expected later.

How EPCs will change

Under the proposed reforms, EPCs will eventually be based on four separate performance metrics, designed to give a clearer and more practical picture of a property’s energy efficiency. These are:

• Energy cost
• Fabric performance
• Heating system
• Smart readiness

The government says these separate measures will offer “clearer and more useful information to consumers”, while also allowing it to better target issues such as fuel poverty and progress towards net zero, something the current EPC system does not fully support.

A detailed document released by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) confirms that work is still ongoing around whether a new EPC will be required automatically when an existing one expires for all private rented homes.

It states:

“We will ensure the revised Energy Performance of Buildings and Private Rental Sector Minimum Energy Efficiency Standards regulations interact effectively to place the right requirements on landlords without incurring undue burdens.”

MHCLG and the Department for Energy and Net Zero have also confirmed they will continue to engage with landlord groups before finalising the government’s full response.

Additional energy and carbon metrics

Alongside EPC reforms, the government plans to introduce a secondary energy demand metric for all residential properties. This will be based on delivered energy and provide an indication of a home’s modelled energy usage.

A secondary carbon-based metric will also be retained on domestic EPCs, offering a snapshot of the emissions produced by the property.

Importantly, when the new EPC format is introduced, existing certificates will remain valid for the remainder of their 10-year lifespan.

Homeowners will also be able to commission EPCs voluntarily if they want advice on improving their property’s energy performance.

Confirmed deadlines for landlords

In a related announcement, the government has published its Warm Homes Plan, setting out clearer expectations for the private rented sector.

All privately rented homes will now have a single compliance deadline of October 2030 to meet the new energy efficiency standards. This means earlier proposals for an interim 2028 deadline, which would have applied to new tenancies, have been dropped.

Other key points for landlords include:

• The proposed cost cap for energy efficiency improvements has been reduced from £15,000 to £10,000
• The cap will be lower where £10,000 represents 10% or more of the property’s value
• Any qualifying energy efficiency work carried out since October last year will count towards the cap
• Landlords will continue to have access to Boiler Upgrade Scheme grants

You can see the full and detailed EPC proposals in the below link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/reforms-to-the-energy-performance-of-buildings-regime?utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=govuk-notifications-topic&utm_source=b7296494-2fb7-4e79-ac12-2e61139c7896&utm_content=immediately

The government’s Warm Homes Plan, released overnight, can be viewed in the below link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/families-to-save-in-biggest-home-upgrade-plan-in-british-history