Now that the world’s leaders have finished their environmental
conference Cop26 in Glasgow, one online lettings agency has revealed
how student landlords can reach ‘Net Zero’ by 2050.
According to the firm, student landlords can help reduce greenhouse gas
emissions by improving their student properties. They say that a student
landlord should consider:
· Installing triple or double-glazed windows
Since all student rental properties need a minimum Energy Performance
Certificate rating of E, student landlords need to be aware that by 2025,
this rating will rise to C. The agency’s experts say that by changing
windows to triple or double-glazed installations, a landlord’s tenants will
use less energy when heating the property.
· Upgrade the boiler and get a Smart Meter
The agency says that Smart Meters are a great idea for student landlords,
plus the tenant could see how much they are spending on their energy bills
every day. This means they can adjust their behaviour to save money and
energy. Landlords should also consider updating their property’s boiler to
a more efficient model – so it’s worth checking how efficient the boiler in
a property is and, if necessary, install a new one.
· Switch to efficient LED bulbs
For a student landlord with a smaller budget, they can still help save the
planet. They can do so by installing eco-friendly, energy efficient LED
bulbs which will help reduce CO2. Also, the agency reminds landlords that
halogen bulbs in the UK were banned in September 2021.
· Update your Energy Performance Certificate
Student landlords should ensure that their Energy Performance Certificate
(EPC) has been updated, regardless of how small their property may be. This
should be done before investing money in energy improvements to the
property because it will indicate where the money will be best spent.
· Insulate your student property
The online agency highlights that insulating student properties is an
efficient way to help the country achieve its 2050 goal. Not only will
student tenants be using less energy for heating their home, but there will
also be no energy wasted through the roof or floorboards. Insulating a
property is a long-term investment and will attract environmentally
conscious student tenants.
The agency also highlights that landlords could install solar panels but
admits they may need a larger budget to carry out this work.
They also highlight that landlords could install a charging point for an
electric car at their property because this will be a ‘very desirable
commodity’ in coming years.
Student landlords with properties
The managing director of Accommodation for Students, Simon Thompson, said:
“The advice is food for thought for many student landlords with properties.
“While most landlords will be ensuring that their student tenants will be
living in a quality home, it’s worth checking to see whether any energy
saving improvements can be made which benefits their tenants and the
landlord – and which will benefit all of us by reducing CO2 emissions.”
However, while the advice from the lettings agency does not mention heat
pumps, one PropTech platform suggests this may be a pointless investment
for student landlords.
£5,000 to landlords to replace their gas boiler
According to Houzen, a government plan to offer £5,000 to homeowners and
landlords to replace their gas boiler with a heat pump is open to debate.
The firm’s environmental analyst, Eashita Saxena, said: “The government
strategy feels thin and the heat pump target, for example, falls short of
the change we need to reduce the impact of homes on our environment.”
The government says that 14% of the country’s carbon emissions are coming
from the heating of our homes.
Ms Saxena points out that the government’s funding will only support the
installation of 90,000 heat pumps across the country over the next three
years.
She added: “The heat pump target is inadequate and there’s a risk that the
execution of grants will lead to a low take-up.”
She pointed to the collapse in the Green Homes Grant scheme earlier this
year, which was to help pay for renovating 600,000 homes, but by February
just 5,800 installations were completed.
Student deposits rise by 25%
Meanwhile, student deposits have risen by 27% this autumn, the Deposit
Protection Service says.
The organisation’s managing director, Matt Trevett, said that they had
registered ‘significantly more deposits’ in England and Wales than they did
last year.
This suggests, he added, that students are becoming more confident in
signing up for a tenancy than they were in 2020.
You can read more about these issues and AFS research in the area of
sustainability
here
