New Year’s Day will see the energy price cap for the 1 January to 31 March period rise, up by 1.2% on the previous three-month period to £1,738 for a typical household that uses electricity and gas and pays by direct debit.
With the cold weather of winter and these increased costs hitting consumers, improving the energy efficiency of your rental property is vital – both to help minimise spending and to keep tenants warm and cosy.
Your Energy Performance Certificate, which you must provide to tenants, will tell you how energy efficient your property was at its last assessment. This can guide larger-scale changes you might choose to make in the future, such as replacing boilers or insulating lofts. But there are also a number of low-cost measures you can take that will improve energy efficiency immediately.
Draughtproof the property
Insulation will help improve energy efficiency by keeping heat within a property rather than allowing it to escape. Inexpensive fixes include reflective material behind radiators to reflect heat back into a room, while draught stoppers at doors and windows — and even heavy curtains — can help to keep out the cold.
Seal up any cracks or gaps but ensure the property still has adequate ventilation where needed. Insulating pipes will help improve energy efficiency while also preventing the risk of them freezing and bursting in extreme weather.
Change the lightbulbs for energy-efficient LEDs
Swapping out old lightbulbs within your rental property for energy-efficient LEDs will also reduce the energy used and save money in the longer term.
Adjust radiators to ensure they are working optimally
Trapped air in your radiators will hamper their efficiency, making heating up your rental a slower and more costly process. As part of a winter inspection make sure you bleed radiators to get rid of this trapped air.
If your radiators have individual thermostatic valves, then encourage your tenants to make use of them to reduce or turn off heating in rooms when they aren’t in use. However, remember that a constant low temperature is required in a property that is vacant.
Encourage tenants to adopt energy-efficient behaviours
There are many other simple fixes that can help to improve energy efficiency simply through the behavioural change of your tenants – the benefit is that they cost nothing to adopt. Turning off lights when they leave a room, shutting the doors of rooms and not blocking radiators with wet washing (which can also cause mould) are just a few of the things they can do to help themselves.
Similarly, turning down the washing machine temperature will still clean clothes effectively – but with less energy used to do so.
Meanwhile, keeping lids on pans and using the right size pans when cooking will also help to save energy while showering instead of taking baths will also help. Consider providing a checklist of ideas for your tenants – pointing out that behaviour change will translate into energy and cash saved!
We can help
At Progressive Lets we are experts in the rental market in the Peterborough area and help landlords find and manage properties within a 50-mile radius. Get in touch to find out more.
