Mr. Gove also suggested revisiting the requirement to build new homes with heat pumps rather than gas boilers in 2025. Credit: Cover Images
He said on Tuesday: “There is a particular pressure on the private rental sector. They have to move faster than others in order to meet energy efficiency standards.
“I think we are asking too much of them, and so we are giving them a lot of breathing room.
“Because we quite rightly started by talking about the housing problems that people face, the cost of housing, whether it is renting or buying. So we need to alleviate the situation.”
A government official familiar with the mindset confirmed that a delay was being considered for letting properties reach EPC C.
A Whitehall source said: “We remain committed to our environmental goals, but we cannot overwhelm landlords facing cost-of-living pressures. Having heard the opinion of the National Association of Landlords and others, we support the postponement of the introduction of new minimum energy efficiency requirements in the private rental sector.
56% of private rental payments in England do not meet the EPC C range
Ministers are also considering phasing out the EPC system in the long term, as some experts see it as an ineffective measure of whether a home is truly green. It is estimated that more than 2.4 million privately rented homes are below the EPC C range, representing 56% of all privately rented homes.
The change in approach only affects tenants in England, because the Scots, The policy in these countries is determined by the administrations of Wales and Northern Ireland.
How long the delay will last is not yet clear. The response to the Approach Consultation is long overdue but expected this year and should provide some clarity.
Mr Gove also suggested during his round of radio interviews that the 2025 ban on gas boilers for newly built homes would be revisited.
In the same BBC interview, Mr Gove said: from gas boilers and currently the transition to heat pumps is costly. We're looking at how we can mitigate the impact on people.
“There are different ways we can make sure the heating in people's homes is decarbonized.”
The effect of by-election results on net zero push
Following a surprise Tory victory in the by-elections in Uxbridge and South Ruislip last Thursday, there has been a broader hardening of positions on the Sunak government's net zero drive.
Labour failed to win a seat after a clear backlash against Mayor Sadiq Khan's expansion of the ultra-low emission zone. Khan is a Labor politician.
Last month, The Telegraph reported that ministers were in talks to delay the planned rollout of a scheme that would require retailers and manufacturers to charge councilors to dispose of their packaging.The tax, known as Extended Producer Responsibility for Packaging, is 'likely' to increase household bills by £40 a year, to £48, according to an official estimate released in February 2022. will increase these figures even more.
The Ministry of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs announced on Tuesday that the introduction of fees has been delayed by one year.
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