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New report from the National Retrofit Hub offers recommendations intended to strengthen energy efficiency standards to protect private renters.
The National Retrofit Hub writes:
Delivering for tenants, a new report from the National Retrofit Hub and Impact on Urban Health sets out practical recommendations to help the UK Government’s proposed minimum energy efficiency regulations deliver real, lasting improvements for tenants in the private rented sector. Published following the recent closure of the consultation on Minimum Energy Efficiency Standards (MEES), the report welcomes the Government’s intent to address cold, inefficient homes but highlights several areas where further clarity, ambition, and support will be needed to ensure the policy achieves its aims.
‘The MEES policy has the potential to significantly improve conditions for renters,’ said Rachael Owens, Co-director at the National Retrofit Hub. ‘But to be successful, it must be supported by ambitious standards, well-designed metrics, and a stronger focus on real outcomes for tenants.’ The report proposes a clear framework built around two priorities to ensure MEES delivers meaningful change:
1. Ambitious targets
- Set minimum fabric performance standards high enough to deliver thermal comfort, reduce damp and mould, and improve building condition.
- Utilise a carbon metric, rather than a heating system metric, to provide a more accurate means of reducing the carbon emissions of home heating and hot water. Account for running costs when designing policy on heat decarbonisation, to avoid unintended consequences such as higher bills.
- Limit exemptions where possible, and address systemic blockers through reforms to EPCs, planning, and leasehold processes.
2. Outcomes monitoring
- Embed performance-based elements such as remote monitoring and health metrics into regulation.
- Ensure upgrades are measured not just by what is installed, but by whether they improve energy efficiency, affordability, and wellbeing in practice.
- Utilise the potential of MEES and the role Domestic Energy Assessors can play in identifying and eliminating health hazards in homes.
‘We know that poorly insulated homes affect people’s health, especially low-income renters and those with existing health conditions,’ said Robin Minchom, Portfolio Manager at Impact on Urban Health. ‘High-quality retrofit improves health in many ways: It improves indoor air quality, helps keep homes cooler during heatwaves and warmer in winter, and alleviates fuel poverty. This is a real opportunity to address many causes of ill-health. We believe the Government’s direction is right and hope this report supports the next steps to make their plans deliverable, measurable, and effective.’
The Government is expected to publish a set of interim policy decisions later this year. These will take into account feedback from the current consultation alongside the 2020 consultation and will be refined further once wider changes to the Energy Performance Certificate system and the new Home Energy Model are complete in 2026. Final policy decisions, updated legislation, and guidance are expected in 2026. ‘This is a pivotal moment to get the detail right,’ added Rachael Owens. ‘By aligning policy with tenant outcomes and strengthening implementation, we can make sure these proposals lead to warmer, healthier homes across the private rented sector.’
Our report was produced in response to the MEES consultation for the private rented sector. The Government has since released a consultation for MEES in the social rented sector. The findings appear very similar, meaning the findings and recommendations in this report will also be useful to those developing policy for the social rented sector.
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Download the report
