The Government announced that the implementation of Energy Performance Certificates (EPCs) and Home Information Packs (HIPs) will be from 1 August - instead of 1 June. The Government also reached an agreement with the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) on their judicial review of Energy Performance Certificates.
The Judge considering the application for Judicial Review by RICS had issued an Order preventing EPC's from being included in HIPs from 1 June until a court had fully considered the RICS application. However, the Government did not consider it to be acceptable or practical to delay the introduction of EPCs in this way. It maintained that it always held that greater transparency in the housing market and tackling climate change goes hand in hand. In addition, a new energy assessor workforce has been created - the majority of whom expected to start work in June.
There have, therefore, been negotiations with RICS in order to avoid a lengthy delay as a result of the legal process, and the Government confirmed that an agreement has been reached. The Government will revise regulations and implement the following changes:
HIPs and EPCs will start on 1 August, implemented on a phased basis. From that date, packs - including energy performance certificates - will be required for the sale of four bedroom and larger properties. These are the properties that are the most energy inefficient. Packs for smaller properties will be phased in, as sufficient energy assessors become ready to start work.
Until the end of the year, the marketing of properties will be allowed as soon as sellers have commissioned a pack - rather than making them wait until they have received them.
As a temporary measure, EPCs will be allowed to be up to twelve months old when the property is put up for sale, and the Government will consult further on the long-term arrangements for the age of EPCs.
The Government will also be inviting councils and registered social landlords to work with it to introduce EPCs on a voluntary basis in social housing, for example at the time of stock transfers. The Government will therefore lead the way in efforts to tackle climate change, whilst providing work for energy assessors in advance of the full implementation of HIPs and EPCs.
Towards the end of the year, the Government will assess the implementation of HIPs and consider what further steps might be needed to maximise the reduction in carbon emissions and drive forward the reform of home buying and selling.
This assessment will be informed by the operation of the market from 1 August, by the results of the area trials and by a further consultation on the next steps in implementing HIPs and EPCs, which will begin in the summer.
The Government announced that grants to help climate-conscious householders to install micro-generation technologies were available again.
The Low Carbon Buildings Programme (LCBP) has already allocated £6.8 million in grants to householders, and, following the addition of an extra £6 million in the Budget, applications for the remaining £11.9 million were accepted from 29 May.
Since it launched in April 2006, the LCBP has directly funded 2,175 installations on homes. This includes 242 mini-turbines, 313 Solar PV projects, and 1467 solar thermal heating systems.
It is clear that micro-wind turbines and solar panels are fast becoming a credible response of householders to cutting their carbon emissions as well as their utility bills. The micro-generation industry has tremendous potential in the low carbon economy. Products are already available on the high street and are starting to become recognisable on our skylines.
The grant scheme was put on hold in March, while the application process was streamlined to make sure it benefits the sector in the long term. Changes to the application criteria include:
The Government is currently consulting on removing the need for planning permission for the majority of micro-generation installations but it must be in place for LCBP grant applicants in the meantime.
The changes are designed to overcome delays in the take-up of grants. Only half of the £6.8 million already allocated by March had been spent because of supply chain issues, planning consents not in place, delays in building schedules and applicants not ready to proceed.
