As the countdown continues to 2035 – the year in which the Government wants all homes to carry an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) rating of C or above, it feels like it’s time for the powers that be to get their skates on.Â
While the Government continues to drag its feet over the introduction of EPC legislation, homeowners continue to be at risk from sellers of ill-advised ‘energy saving home improvements’.
Stories surrounding the incorrect installation of spray foam insulation hit the headlines last year after it was revealed around 250,000 properties have had the foam installed – some of which incorrectly, not only damaging their home but in some cases, rendering it unmortgageable.
Such is the risk to homeowners that the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors’ (RICS) recently felt compelled to publish consumer guidance for those thinking about installing the foam.
The scale of the retrofitting task ahead is huge and some clear dates and guidance would help lessen the risk of a repeat performance of the spray foam mess.
In the mortgage market, there tends to be a focus on the funding side of retrofitting properties, but this will form just one piece of an overall much larger jigsaw.
Recent findings from climate change charity, Ashden, estimate over 400,000 builders and skilled retrofit professionals will be needed to retrofit the UK’s energy inefficient 19 million homes, with currently just 200,000 trained in such roles.
Not only is there a shortfall of labourers to carry out the work but also ‘retrofit co-ordinators’ – those trained to oversee the management and design of the measures. The charity estimates 50,000 such roles will be needed by 2030, with currently around 1,000 in operation.
Understandably, some saw the recent Budget as a missed opportunity to help kick-start the retrofitting revolution and introduce training schemes and funding for such roles.
The need for clear, comprehensive and accurate advice regarding retrofitting is essential and given the timeframe, there is no room for error.Â
It is with this in mind that we at SDL are training our surveyors to not only be energy assessors but also retrofit assessors; enabling us to offer homeowners trusted advice when it comes to improving their property’s EPC.
Given surveyors are well versed in a property’s structure and framework, we are well placed to advise homeowners and lenders on the retrofit technologies and features that might work in harmony with a property.
While there has been a lot of hype surrounding the installation of heat pumps and other modern eco technologies, for some homeowners, there will be simpler, cheaper measures they can take.
You may have heard the phrase ‘fabric first’ when talking about retrofitting. This refers to small yet effective actions that can be applied to improve the fabric of a building, before going down the road of installing higher-priced features such as new heating systems and solar panels.
Insulating cavity walls and underneath floorboards, hot water cylinders and lofts for example, could reduce homeowners’ energy bills by hundreds of pounds every year. Other easy measures such as draft excluders and making sure the home has an effective heating control system can also lead to savings. Even replacing old light bulbs with more efficient LED ones can improve a property’s EPC.
It’s estimated 5.2 million homes in the UK have no cavity wall insulation and 7.9 million substandard or no loft insulation. The final incentive for the majority of homeowners to make energy efficient changes will only come from legislative measures.
When, not if, legislation is introduced however, we are likely to see things move quickly depending on the deadline. Even a target of 2035 doesn’t leave a huge amount of time to put all the cards in place.
As energy bills continue to climb and net zero targets draw nearer, the Government needs to be more proactive and time-focused in its preparations.
Simon Jackson is managing director of SDL Surveying
