If you’re a landlord or property manager, achieving net zero carbon for a rented property doesn’t hinge solely on obtaining an ‘A’ Energy Performance Certificate or EPC rating.

It’s important to avoid assuming that reaching an EPC ‘A’ rating guarantees meeting the UK’s net zero carbon targets.

For landlords, it’s an ongoing battle between sustainability and navigating rising costs, unrealistic deadlines, and inaccessible government funding – especially when it comes to older yet still perfectly viable properties.

But to what extent will this emphasis on EPC ratings truly drive progress toward net zero goals?

While EPC reforms strive to improve energy efficiency, an overly rigid focus on ratings can overlook simpler, more worthwhile solutions.

By prioritising property-specific improvements such as insulation and heating upgrades, for example, over arbitrary targets, landlords can achieve meaningful carbon reductions.

At the same time, taking action enables landlords to support their tenants while staying aligned with government targets, as Sir Keir Starmer and Ed Miliband wed themselves to the EPC rating system.

Data from the Energy Performance of Buildings Register shows a 2% increase in the number of registered homes in England and Wales in Q4 2024 compared to the same period in 2023.

According to the Government’s live table, there were 1,666,137 lodgements in England and Wales, with 514,762 properties rated EPC D—the current minimum standard—and 736,409 achieving a C rating, the proposed new benchmark.

EPC ratings are based on fixed values, often failing to capture real-world energy efficiency.

EPC ratings are based on fixed values, often failing to capture real-world energy efficiency.

As a result, much of the UK’s housing stock is more sustainable than it initially appears, despite a significant number of properties rated EPC C or even D.

This means that some landlords with an A rating may be doing the bare minimum, while those with lower-rated properties could be keeping their tenants warmer and their homes more energy-efficient than the ratings suggest.

In short, we need property managers to take meaningful action to tackle the climate emergency, rather than just focusing on ticking the EPC ratings box.

It’s time to move beyond the oversimplified notion that an ‘A’ on an EPC audit guarantees meaningful progress. Real-world solutions that genuinely reduce carbon should take priority. Obsessing over EPC ‘A’ ratings as the ultimate benchmark is not only unnecessary but counterproductive.

By Dave Seed, Managing Director of Qube Residential 

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