Although the Minimum Energy Performance Standards (MEPS) were first discussed back in 2010, the Conservative party's hesitancy to enforce more regulations meant that they were delayed through Parliament. The standards have now been passed, which means that as of April 2016 tenants of privately-rented homes will be able to request that their landlords install energy efficiency measures; and landlords will have to accept all reasonable requests.
What's more, starting in April 2018, landlords of both homes and non-domestic properties that fall into the two bottom energy efficiency ratings - Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) bands 'F' and 'G' - will have to put energy efficiency measures in place. This could, for example, be in the form of loft insulation or over-the-door air curtains, which are known to reduce the amount of warm air that leaves an internal space, meaning that less energy is wasted.
Climate control curtains not only save money, they can also improve a property's energy-efficiency credentials. The move has been praised by the UK Green Building Council (UKGBC), who called the new law the "most significant piece of legislation in a generation". The organisation's acting chief executive, John Alker, notes that regardless of what critics of the legislation have to say, "good landlords and forward-thinking property companies have nothing to fear."
"This could provide the impetus needed to upgrade our worst-performing, most energy-hungry rented properties and help to kick-start a multi-million pound market in energy efficiency products and services in the UK, " he concluded.