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Rented residential property 'needs energy efficiency standard'
20/09/10
Edited by Sophie Griffiths.The government has been urged to introduce a new minimum standard of energy efficiency for rented residential property.
An alliance of 15 groups including Friends of the Earth, the National Home Improvement Council and the National Pensioners Convention issued a joint statement to energy secretary Chris Huhne calling for a ban on letting the most poorly insulated homes until they are improved.
According to Dave Timms, a climate campaigner with Friends of the Earth, private landlords are the worst offenders when it comes to a lack of energy efficiency and adequate insulation - and as a result, millions of vulnerable people live in "dangerously cold" houses that leave them trapped in fuel poverty.
He added that introducing minimum standards for rented houses would make it cheaper to keep them warm, while also creating home improvement jobs for builders, reducing the strain on NHS resources and cutting carbon emissions.
The alliance's statement also called for improved advice for landlords on getting their accommodation up to scratch and better information on energy efficiency for prospective tenants.
According to the Energy Saving Trust, an uninsulated home loses around 26 per cent of its heat through the roof and 33 per cent via the walls.
