Call to impose EPC rules on landlords as tenants ration energy

Reply to the comment left by blair at 20/09/2025 – 09:28
The energy rating of an appliance isn’t a direct comparable with the ratings of other appliances. It’s not relevant to compare a tumbler dryer with, say, a C rating with your TV example with a G.

It’s pretty obvious a large screen TV will use more power than a smaller screen model from the same manufacturer. The energy ratings serve as a comparison so only relevant if you are comparing like with like – whether that is a 59 inch screen TV with another similar specced model or washer dryer with another washer dryer.

For actual energy consumption look at the energy rating of the appliance in Watts – it will be on a label somewhere or use Google – and do some simple maths. If a TV is rated at 250 Watts (W) and electricity is priced in kilo Watt hours (1000 Watts per hour) divide 1000 by 250. The answer being the number of hours you can run your TV for the cost per kWh as stated on your energy bill, so in this case 4. If your supplier charges 24p per kWH then that would be 6p an hour.

The TV is a simple example, it’s either on or off basically – other appliances on thermostats or with cycles such as a washer won’t use power at the same rate all the time of course.

Reply to the comment left by Keith Wellburn at 20/09/2025 – 09:50
Just did a bit of digging – what I found could be bad news for landlords. For a start it seems the energy ratings for TVs were altered in 2021. What were in bands A to C became E to G.

I picked a TV size, 55 inch and a supplier, Argos. The first one up was a ‘TCL’ brand (me neither). A simple Wattage wasn’t given but on clicking on the energy rating there was a multitude of information including power consumption in standard and high dynamic modes (high mode being 20 Watts more than standard).

The power consumption in standard mode was 70 Watts – so you could run the thing for over 14 hours on one kWh, in round figures 2 pence an hour.

What rating was given to this TV…. An F for crying out loud – just one up from the worst possible rating. What useful information can anyone hope to gain from this utter nonsense. If these clowns can do that with a TV just imagine what the energy rating system for properties could look like ten years down the line if we don’t get rid of the imbeciles behind this nonsense governing our lives.

Reply to the comment left by Suspicious Steve at 16/09/2025 – 11:29
The problem is the younger generation has been brainwashed that the EPC tells them how much they will have to pay for electricity etc regardless of how much they use. So a C rating in their minds has to be cheaper than a D.

Quote “Citizens Advice says that with winter looming and energy prices remaining 50% higher than pre-2021 levels”.

It’s not a landlords fault that energy prices have risen 50%, the price of food, council tax and everything else has increased.

99 % of my rent’s haven’t increased, all are still way below market rent. So why is it my fault that tenants can not afford to heat their houses?

I’ve been slowly investing in my houses and all but 1 is now a C for the next 10 years, I have 1 D64, which due to construction type It’s not worth me spending 10-14k on external wall insulation to get it to a C, so I will sell it.

Reply to the comment left by Desert Rat at 20/09/2025 – 14:08
Another landlord won’t want the cost and hassle of getting it to C, so it will likely be a FTB, who won’t be required to do anything about C, and probably won’t care when they are no longer renting. It’s a joke!

Reply to the comment left by NewYorkie at 20/09/2025 – 14:16
So true, any sensible landlord won’t buy it. I should probably off load it now but tenant has been with us for many years and has been the perfect tenant and loves the large garden as she often invites over the local kids to play in the garden. The house and garden has so much potential upgrade value that I can not sell it with tenant in situ, with well below market rent.

Labour are planning to impose EPC regulations on Social housing too. Will LL have to pay for their upgrades through higher charges for license fees, or just council tax payers.

Owner occupiers also ration gas and electricity. These surveys only focus on one section of the population and therefore give a distorted view.

Reply to the comment left by G H at 21/09/2025 – 09:04
I think it’s some massive plan because the government realise buying a house is not going to be the norm anymore for future generations. They aim to reduce house prices of used homes by adopting these methods of trying to get landlords and second home owners to sell but at the same time they are trying to make rented accomodation better than owner occupied so that people would rather rent. You couldn’t imagine the average homeowner installing wall insulation? But by forcing landlords to do so they are creating a better option for tenants not at the governments expense.

Reply to the comment left by Beaver at 17/09/2025 – 16:51

Yes Beaver, here is the details:

I have a contact who get u from EPC D to C without the humongous cost these assessors are telling you, very cheap to work it out for u, does it more for passion, than money. I’ve spoke to him & knows his stuff:
James Tanner
02033255066
http://www.jtannerproperties.co.uk

Yes the system is wrong, constantly changing the goal posts retrospectively when tenant & house already there. Oh we’ll change the rules now then, cost you £10,000 & make your life 5 times harder, more time, less income for u.

Here’s my video response to when Ed Miliband announced the back to EPC C again

Why Ed Miliband, are you always trying to increase Private tenants rents? By wanting EPC C.

https://youtu.be/ijMxRyuCGKI?si=WPPcruTiQc90mhNB

For those that haven’t got 3 mins to watch video, notes below.
My video rant to Ed Miliband after journalists asked for my response.
Video link https://photos.app.goo.gl/PEQJiMyGoXvbT91k7

Ed, you say you don’t want private tenants living in cold draughty homes-What if they not living in cold draughty homes?
You said they substandard-They not substandard.
Many of mine are EPC D with new boiler, new windows, doors, Loft fully insulated, tenants very warm.
Their only choice is internal wall insulation.
I had one done FREE, £6000 you paid for 2 years ago under the Govt scheme.
Do you know what happened Ed? She had to buy a new settee cause you made her living room too small.
Her house has now got mould & condensation & never had it before in 22 years of living there.

You cannot retrospectively fit old houses without side effects.

What if the tenant was paying cheap rent say £200pm below normal & Landlord got to spend £6000-What do you think is going to happen to that rent?
Come and ask the tenant if they want to save £20pm off their gas bill, but your rent will increase by £200pm.

These renters groups love hearing you talking & you get their votes. But you end up making their lives worse.
Go after the bad Landlords that’s charging top whack & don’t fix their boiler. Leave alone the Private tenants that haven’t got a problem.

You say you have listened to the tenants. You haven’t. You have listened to them that have a problem. You said you have the backing of tenants-You don’t have the backing of my tenants-When are you coming to talk to them? They don’t contact you cause they happy as they are. Stop interfering with their lives.

Ed, every time you talk, you make more tenants homeless.

I’ve been telling Govt for years your grants are flawed & causing problems in houses-And 3 weeks ago this is on the News.

What about Council tenants-Don’t they matter? Why do you always hurt Private tenants? What about homeowners-Aren’t they supposed to help with emissions?

If I can’t get to EPC D, have I got to make the tenants homeless? Cause I don’t want my houses anyway, you could really help me out here.