There is no shortage of online energy guides detailing how to reduce energy consumption and lower fuel bills but much of the advice is aimed at homeowners. While installing solar panels, air source heat pumps and cavity wall insulation are good ideas, they aren’t the sort of home improvements tenants are always able to make.
That doesn’t mean renters can’t reduce the amount of energy they are using. There are a number of easy-to-implement – and allowable – changes designed to reduce consumption and here are some of the easiest to implement:-
Want to make major energy-saving changes?
Renters who are really keen on cutting their carbon emissions and reducing energy consumption can make a request to their landlord to make their own improvements. It’s actually a right documented by the Government in Part Two of the Energy Efficiency (Private Rented Property) (England and Wales) Regulations 2015.
The document states: ‘The tenants’ energy efficiency improvements provisions mean that, subject to certain requirements and exemptions, from 1 April 2016, where a tenant requests their landlord’s consent to making energy efficiency improvements to the landlord’s property, the landlord may not unreasonably refuse consent.’
The Housing (Scotland) Act 2006 (Part 1, Chapter 7, Section 52) gives every private sector tenant a very similar right.
Tenants should be aware that requests of this nature are not always permitted and all costs are expected to be borne by the renter. If this is an idea you’d like to pursue, please contact our lettings team today.
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