Surely I am not the only landlord worried about new EPC requirements?

Reply to the comment left by John at 17/02/2021 - 11:31
Only 11% of energy is being quoted in the media as coming from Hydrogen and there are signs that this may new build estates from what I read between the lines. Worcs Bosch recently told me this...In regards to Hydrogen boilers, we are still waiting for government commitment to approve mandatory hydrogen boilers from a certain date. The year 2025 has been suggested by a number of organisations. However I suspect that the government may make a timely announcement before COP 26 in November later this year.

However there is a lot of work being done on the safety, efficiency and performance of the boilers. There is also work being done setting up the infrastructure upstream of our houses including gas meters.

The UK is leading the Hydrogen topic and it was mentioned in Boris’ 10 point Green industry revolution plan.

Take a look at the below link which shows the first trials of Hydrogen in Levenmouth, Fife, Scotland . The demo is later this year and almost 300 boilers will be installed under regulation in 2022. This by the way, doesn’t just include boilers it calls every gas appliance including hobs and gas fires.

However hydrogen boilers will only be provided in measured and regulated circumstances and won’t be available for private sale until government commitment. I would imagine there will be some kind of agreement for safe supply of products until we can scale manufacturing capabilities.

https://youtu.be/MDS6NFBrGX4

Currently the HSE and the network providers (NGN - Northern Gas Networks in your case) are doing some great work making sure Hydrogen is safer than our current Natural gas transmission system. We believe that our Hydrogen boilers will Be in fact safer than the current Natural gas boilers. The hydrogen boilers don’t produce Carbon monoxide (which is the biggest gas safety issue in the UK) so the benefits get even more viable as we progress with this concept. The main challenge is producing hydrogen economically and getting Hydrogen to homes safely. However I know NGN are doing a lot of work in Yorkshire to get ready foe the future.

As mentioned above, The suggested earliest date for Hydrogen ready boilers to be mandatory installed is 2025 but that doesn’t mean some homeowners, landlords, councils or housing associations may adopt the technology before a mandatory requirement comes in.

Prior to 2005 there were many condensing boilers installed before the mandatory requirement from April 1st 2005. There was also an incentive (£250 voucher) with the energy savings trust to encourage customers to buy the more efficient condensing boilers rather than standard efficiency boilers.
A similar concept could be suggested prior to 2025.

Reply to the comment left by Dancinglandlord at 23/02/2021 - 10:14
All sounds very positive.

From reading between the lines, it just seems to me hydrogen is the way we are going to go to accommodate the old housing stock. New builds will need very little heating going forwards and so an air source heat pump will be fine for these new buildings.

I wonder what impact hydrogen will have on the EPC assessments ?

Reply to the comment left by Mike at 17/02/2021 - 11:00
I have an air source heat pump fitted to my old stone cottage but although they do generate heat its only to about 45 degrees so unless you have or can install underfloor heating ( which I have done) you will end up with much bigger radiators ie long and low such as I have upstairs. Also, the bathroom one didn't hack the really cold weather we just had so need supplementary in the bathroom. I have had mine less than year but and I would say that with the underfloor they are good and heat the water well.

My head is about to explode! NRLA says minimum EPC C ratings to come in from 2025. Article in Times last Saturday states '...plans being considered from 2028', and I am sure I read elsewhere it is 2030??
Anyone actually know???

Reply to the comment left by RL at 24/02/2021 - 19:49
It is 2025 for new tenancies and 2028 for existing

Reply to the comment left by John at 24/02/2021 - 20:30
so an existing tenancy at the point up to the date of the new requirements is ok (whatever the EPC grading) and I have then three years to get it up to a C or register an exemption?
Any tenancy started the day after of application, then HAS to be at the min C rating?

Reply to the comment left by RL at 25/02/2021 - 07:55
No one knows that level of complexity yet.

The government paper is written and is being debated at the moment. They may even have finished. I'm not following so closely.

But it is likely what has been presented will come to pass, meaning these dates.

C was supposed to come in, in 2030, but it has been brought forward to 2025/28.

Other measures regarding the UK's carbons emissions have been brought forward ie, phasing out of diesel cars.

Everything is happening around us as we speak. We need to start planning today. I started last Autumn and once you get your head around the subject, it is not as difficult as you may think. As i see it a D rated house can go to a C easily if we stick photovoltaics on the roof. Cost for me is £2500. Thats a lot less than the £10-20 thousands being talked about. But the house must be already pretty well done, so windows, roof, boiler, controls all tick off. Maybe need to do timber floors and maybe some internal wall lining.

Key bit of advice is to build a relationship with an EPC assessor !!! Get him to do some modelling for you with the software. What actions bring what point outcome.

Just read this on another site:

‘High cost’ Exemption
The prohibition on letting property below an EPC rating of E does not apply if the cost of making even the cheapest recommended improvement would exceed £3,500 (inc. VAT).
Applies only to domestic property.
If the ‘high cost’ exemption applies, the landlord must register this on the PRS Exemptions Register. To support this exemption, the landlord is required to upload copies of 3 quotations from different installers, each showing that the cost of purchasing and installing the cheapest recommended improvement exceeds £3,500 (inc. VAT); and confirmation that the landlord is satisfied that the measure(s) exceed this amount. The exemption will be valid for 5 years; after this time the exemption will expire and the landlord must try again to improve the property’s EPC rating to meet the minimum level of energy efficiency. If this still cannot be achieved, then a further exemption may be registered.
Please note: this exemption should only be used where there are no improvements which can be made for £3,500 or less (and analysis suggests that the majority of EPC F and G rated properties can receive at least one improvement for this amount or less). If one or more recommended improvements can be made for £3,500 or less, and these improvements fail to improve the property to EPC E, then the ‘All Improvements Made’ exemption should be registered (see number 5) where all the “relevant energy efficiency improvements” for the property have been made but the property remains sub-standard.

p.s. I'm not sure where I might find the 'number 5' referred to

Reply to the comment left by Denise G at 25/02/2021 - 11:33
This exemption is for now. It will be £10k under the new proposals, so this means LL's are going to have to spend a lot of money before an exemption comes in.

Reply to the comment left by John at 25/02/2021 - 12:07
Do we know this for a fact?