With less than six months to go until the deadline for meeting new energy efficiency standards, the CLA [ Alliance member] has criticised Ministers for their failure to confront the fundamentally flawed rules that make understanding compliance with energy efficiency regulations all but impossible for thousands of listed and other heritage buildings.
From April 2018 it will be illegal to let a property with an energy performance certificate (EPC) rating lower than E to a new tenant, and to an existing tenant from April 2020.
Over the past three years the CLA has consistently asked Ministers to address the fundamental flaws in regulation, which ambiguously exempt listed buildings from needing an EPC while at the same time requires an EPC to demonstrate that the installation of recommended energy efficiency measures would unacceptably alter the character or appearance of the building.
After more than two years of delay, new guidance published by the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy simply advises owners of heritage property to make their own assessment of whether they require an EPC, or to seek advice from Trading Standards.