New rules for landlords an opportunity for industry

Labour’s energy secretary, Ed Miliband, has pledged that every rented home in the UK will need to achieve an energy rating of C or above by 2030, opening up the potential for a valuable revenue stream of replacement windows and doors as properties are brought up to standard.

Speaking at the Labour Party conference this week, Miliband’s pledge to improve living conditions for tenants of old and draughty housing, will mean landlords having to invest in energy efficiency measures or risk being banned from renting out their properties.

The previous Conservative party originally had an earlier deadline of 2028 in place, but that was dropped by Rishi Sunak as part of his relaxation of net zero goals.

Labour is set on re-introducing the measures for rented properties – albeit with an extended deadline – which according to some reports could cost property owners an estimated £25 billion.

As a sweetener, Miliband is promising to help with the upgrades, although any grants would of course have to recognise the benefits of upgraded windows and doors – as opposed to additional insulation, solar or heat pumps etc – in order to maximise the benefits for the glazing industry.

There is also the possibility that landlords will simply choose to sell up, rather than be forced to spend money – but nevertheless, the initial announcement still raises the prospect of a welcome boost for fabricators and installers, especially if they can engage with landlords or rental firms at an early stage.

For more thoughts on this proposal and the potential implications for the industry in the future, we have an exclusive comment from Emplas’s sales director, Jody Vincent, that you can read here.