How modern heating and hot water systems can help solve the challenges of the UK rental market

WHITE PAPER

13 / Introduction

14 / Tackling fuel poverty

16 / Improving energy efficiency

10 / Making the smart choice with controls

12 / Ensuring carbon monoxide safety

14 / Gaining access to rental properties

16 / Proper commissioning

Contents

2 /

The growth of the rental market is now so pronounced that it is even reflected in the type of houses being built. Across the country, the number of properties being built specifically to be rented out – the ‘build-to-rent’ model – has grown by 30 per cent to 117,893 in the past year, according to figures published by the British Property Federation2.

With this trend expected to continue, and a quarter of all households in Britain estimated to be renting privately by 2021, energy efficiency in rental properties is more important than ever. The government is looking closely at the private rental market in particular, where standards of housing and energy efficiency tend to be lower than in both the social housing and owner-occupier sectors.

The private rented sector comprises approximately 20 per cent of all households, while the social rented sector, defined in the English Housing Survey as those owned and managed by local authorities and housing associations, comprises 17 per cent of all households (approximately 3.9 million households) in England3.

Around a quarter (27 per cent) of private rented homes failed to meet the Decent Homes Standard in 2016, more than double the rate found in the social rented sector, according to a recent House of Commons report published by the Housing, Communities & Local Government Committee4. Between 2006 and 2013, the percentage of private rented homes considered to be ‘non decent’ fell from 47 per cent to 30 per cent, though this figure has remained mostly unchanged since then.

Arguably, much of the improvement in standards seen between 2006 and 2013 can be attributed to the Part L Building Regulation

changes regarding condensing boilers since, in the years since the regulations changed, many standard efficiency, non-condensing boilers will have been replaced by combi condensing versions.

Most of these new heating systems are installed in distress situations, when the previous boiler or heat source is irreparable. This is particularly true in the rental market, where the incentive for landlords to renovate and modernise their heating systems is arguably less, since they mostly bear the cost, but it is their tenants who receive the benefits.

However, this short-term thinking means landlords also miss out on long-term benefits, since taking a more proactive approach to modernising heating and hot water systems can prevent higher repair bills if significant problems occur in the future, and can even act as a differentiator for landlords in what has, in recent years, become a renter’s market.

This year, the government has introduced a number of legislative changes in an attempt to improve energy efficiency standards across the housing market and in the rental sector in particular, bringing new challenges for landlords.

At the same time, rising fuel poverty, and awareness of the health issues this can cause tenants in poorly-heated properties, means it is likely that regulations will continue to tighten as the government seeks to reverse the trend.

This White Paper will examine the many challenges facing the UK rental market, and reveal how modern heating systems and advances in technology can help landlords to meet them.

Introduction

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1 https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/627686/Private_rented_sector_report_2015-16.pdf

2 https://www.ft.com/content/633ad0e0-3e74-11e8-b9f9-de94fa33a81e

3 https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/632464/Social_rented_sector_report_2015-16.pdf

4 https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201719/cmselect/cmcomloc/440/440.pdf

The UK is increasingly a nation of renters. The 2015-16 English Housing Survey, published by the then-Department for Communities & Local Government (DCLG), revealed there were 4.5 million households in the private rented sector across England and Wales1 – 2.5 million more than existed in the year 2000.

Around

27% of private

rented homes failed to meet

the Decent Homes

Standard in 2016

According to the latest Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy (DBEIS) figures, in 2016 the percentage of households in fuel poverty in England was 11 per cent (approximately 2.5 million households) – an increase of 0.4 per cent from 20146.

Fuel poverty in England is measured using the Low Income High Costs (LIHC) indicator, through which a household is considered to be fuel poor if:

• They have required fuel costs that are abovethe national median average level

• And, if they were to spend that amount, they would be left with a residual income below the official poverty line.7

Fuel poverty is particularly acute among households who rent, rather than own,

their homes. Levels of fuel poverty are significantly higher in the private rented sector, where 21.3 per cent of households are fuel poor, in comparison to just 7.4 per cent of those in owner-occupied properties.

According to DBEIS’ report, fuel-poor households in the private rented sector also tend to be deeper in fuel poverty than other sectors, with an average fuel poverty gap of £410, compared to £200 for housing association properties and £175 for local authority tenants. Figures also show that, overall, the average fuel poverty gap has increased across all tenure types since 2003, with the largest increase seen among owner occupied and private rented properties.

Tackling fuel poverty

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5 https://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/news/uk-energy-bills-fastest-rate-since-2014-money-saving-consumer-electricity-british-gas-a7957971.html

6 https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/639118/Fuel_Poverty_Statistics_Report_2017_revised_August.pdf

7 https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/639118/Fuel_Poverty_Statistics_Report_2017_revised_August.pdf

Fuel poverty and average fuel poverty gap by tenure, 2015, taken from DBEIS Annual Fuel Poverty Survey, 2017

Pro

port

ion

of h

ouse

hold

s in

fue

l pov

erty

Ave

rage

fue

l pov

erty

Tenure

Privaterented

0% £0

5% £100

10% £200

15% £300

20% £400

25% £500

Localauthority

Housingassociation

Owneroccupied

In 2016 the percentage of households in fuel poverty in England was

11%

With energy prices rising at their fastest rate in over three years, according to figures from MoneySavingExpert.com5, attention is increasingly turning to the issue of fuel poverty, as the government searches for ways to improve efficiency and bring as many households out of fuel poverty as possible.

DBEIS believes this is because social housing tends to have better levels of insulation and lower heat losses, thereby reducing the energy costs required to heat the building. Building Regulations also specify higher standards for housing association and local authority properties, which, in recent years, has helped improve their energy efficiency in comparison to private rented and owner-occupied properties, where there is less stringent regulation.

Fuel poverty is a very serious public health risk, causing physical and mental problems for vulnerable people including children and the elderly. People living in fuel poverty can experience depression, social isolation and anxiety, as well as being at increased risk of respiratory infections, asthma and other physiological issues. According to the report ‘Chilled to Death’, from the Association for the Conservation of Energy, across England and Wales in 2013, cold homes killed more than four times as many people as road and rail accidents, mostly among people aged 76 or over8.

With levels of fuel poverty being higher in rental properties than among owner-occupiers, landlords have an obligation to ensure the homes they rent out are sufficiently heated, with modern, efficient systems that prevent their tenants entering fuel poverty wherever possible.

According to figures quoted by the Heating & Hotwater Industry Council (HHIC), replacing a Band F or G rated boiler – which is less than 70 per cent efficient – with an A-rated high efficiency model, could immediately reduce energy bills by approximately £150 per year, as well as reducing the carbon footprint of a typical UK household by 0.7 tonnes of CO2 each year. Changing a property that was previously heated by storage heaters, LPG or solid fuels to a gas-fuelled system, where properties have access to the gas grid, could reduce these bills even further, lifting households out of fuel poverty.

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8 http://www.ukace.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/ACE-and-EBR-fact-file-2015-03-Chilled-to-death.pdf

Landlords have an obligationto ensure the

homes they rent out are

sufficiently heated, with

modern, efficient systems

Much of this was funnelled through Building Regulation changes, such as the 2005 requirement that all domestic boiler replacements be condensing, except in exceptional circumstances. At the time these regulations were introduced, it was estimated that around 16 per cent of the world’s annual CO2 emissions came from non-condensing boilers, making this a natural area for the government to tackle.

In the years since, CO2 emissions from domestic buildings have fallen, though not enough for the UK to be able to meet its climate change targets of reducing carbon emissions by at least 80 per cent of 1990 levels by 2050.

According to the 2016 Committee on Climate Change progress report, there was an average annual decrease in building emissions of 3.3 per cent over the period from 2009 to 2014, driven largely by the switch to condensing boilers. However, building emission levels have remained largely flat since 2012, and actually increased 5 per cent in 2015.

Part of the problem is that it’s more difficult for the government to mandate changes in existing properties and, with newbuild housing levels at their lowest for some time, the impact made by tightening newbuild building regulations is relatively minimal. The Green Deal and Renewable Heat Incentive schemes were introduced in an attempt to address this issue, encouraging homeowners and landlords to voluntarily upgrade their properties, but take up on both these schemes was lower than originally hoped.

The Energy Company Obligation (ECO), a scheme first introduced to help combat fuel poverty by providing fuel-poor households with affordable upgrades to energy efficiency measures, proved more successful. Launched in April 2013, the scheme has ensured the upgrade of many thousands of boilers and heating systems, as well as funding other efficiency improvements including insulation, district heating and microgeneration systems.

The scheme is due to come to an end in September 2018, with the government now consulting on what should happen to the scheme after that date.

In an attempt to draw public attention to the efficiency of a property, Energy Performance Certificates (EPCs) have been a requirement for all rented properties in England and Wales since 1 October 2008, classifying all properties by their energy efficiency on a scale from A to G, and making recommendations on how it can be improved.

Improving energy efficiency

6 /

There was an average annual decrease in building emissions of

3.3% over the period from 2009 to 2014

Successive governments have been introducing legislation intended to improve building efficiency levels for more than 10 years, in an attempt to reduce the UK’s carbon emissions.

Energy efficiency rating bands, by tenure, 2015

7 /

Despite this, many landlords still remain largely unaware of how efficient their properties are, what poor efficiency could mean for tenants, and what can measures can be put in place to improve them.

Now, however, new minimum energy efficiency standards (MEES) have been introduced for rental properties, as part of the Government’s Clean Growth Strategy.

The new MEES standards, introduced under Part L of the Building Regulations on 1 April, 2018, require all privately-rented properties in England and Wales to have a minimum EPC rating of E. Any private landlord whose property does not meet these standards will not be legally allowed to rent it to a new

tenant, or to sign any tenancy renewals or extensions on the property.

The MEES regulations do not apply to housing association or low-cost social housing rental properties, as other existing regulations such as The Decent Home Standard already apply, requiring all such properties to have efficient heating and effective insulation.

EPC data shows that the majority of private rented properties are D-rated, but that 8 per cent are F-rated and 3 per cent are G-rated – higher percentages than are seen in the owner occupier sector. Among fuel-poor households, government figures suggest that 51 per cent have an Energy Performance Certificate rating of E or below.

Owner occupied

Private rented

Social rented

Owner occupied

Private rented

Social rented

Owner occupied

Private rented

Social rented

Owner occupied

Private rented

Social rented

Owner occupied

Private rented

Social rented

Owner occupied

Private rented

Social rented

Energy efficiency rating bands, by tenure, 2015. Figures taken from the English Housing Survey

Percentage0 10 20 30 40 50

60

It is worth landlords and tenants addressing this issue now and carrying out all necessary efficiency upgrades, even if they have a long-term tenant in-situ, since from 1 April 2020 the regulations will tighten further, meaning that landlords will not be allowed to continue to let their property to existing tenants if it has an EPC rating of F or G, rather than it just becoming an issue when a new tenancy agreement is due to be signed.

Landlords who fail to comply with these new standards could face civil penalties of up to £4,000 from their local authority, as well as receiving a Section 21 notice prohibiting them from signing any new tenancy agreement until the required work has been carried out.

Upgrading the heating system offers landlords a relatively simple way to quickly and cost-effectively improve their property’s energy efficiency levels. A wide range of heating and hot water measures can be installed to accomplish this, including:

• Air source heat pumps

• Cylinder thermostats

• Fan assisted replacement storage heaters

• Flue gas recovery systems

• Gas-fired condensing boilers

• Ground source heat pumps

• Hot water controls

• Hot water cylinder insulation

• Mechanical ventilation with heat recovery

• Oil-fired condensing boilers

• Photovoltaic systems

• Radiant heating

• Room heaters

• Smart heating controls

• Solar thermal

Despite the MEES proposals only having been in force since 1 April 2018, the government has already consulted on plans to tighten them further.

Currently, the regulations have a "no cost" clause, allowing landlords a five-year exemption if the improvements necessary to bring the property up to standard cannot be funded through a third-party such as a local authority grant, the ECO scheme, or a Green Deal plan. Essentially, the regulation specifies that installing measures to make a property MEES compliant should not leave the landlord financially out of pocket.

The proposed amendments suggest replacing this clause with a "cost cap" as early as April 2019, requiring landlords to invest up to £2,500 per property in order to bring it up to an EPC rating of E.

Industry stakeholders, as well as the London Assembly, are calling for this cost cap to be increased to £5,000, as the proposed cap may not be enough to allow the installation of significant efficiency measures in older properties, such as new gas-fired heating systems. This may limit the type of improvements landlords are able to make and the impact they could have on their property’s efficiency rating.

Improving energy efficiency (continued)

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9 https://www.telegraph.co.uk/property/landlord-guide/are-you-an-energy-efficient-landlord/

10 https://eua.org.uk/landlords-need-to-do-more-to-improve-the-energy-efficiency-of-their-properties/

ENERGYEFFICIENCY

At the time the new regulations came into force, estimates suggest as many as 400,000 rental properties across England and Wales did not meet these targets9, and would require efficiency improvements to raise their EPC rating by at least one band, before they could be rented again.

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11 https://www.landlords.org.uk/news-campaigns/news/nla-calls-the-government-be-ambitious-on-energy-efficiency

12 http://www.beama.org.uk/news/high-efficiency-room-thermostats.html

According to the HHIC, a spending cap of £2,500 would only help around 85,000 houses to reach an EPC band E rating, whereas a £5,000 cap could lift up to 120,000 properties to the higher efficiency levels10.

Others, including the National Landlords Association11, believe government should offer landlords a carrot, rather than a stick, approach to efficiency improvements, incentivising those who invest in their properties, rather than penalising those who do not.

A wide range of different efficiency measures can be installed in order to improve the energy efficiency of a building, from switching to low energy lighting to improved insulation or introducing double glazing, but one of the most cost-effective ways landlords can use to bring an F or G-rated property up to the required EPC ‘E’ standard is to install a new gas-fired condensing boiler, along with heating controls such as programmable room thermostats and thermostatic radiator valves (TRVs).

Well-publicised research, first carried out by the University of Salford in 2013 and commissioned by BEAMA Heating Controls12, showed that adding room thermostats and TRVs to a heating system that previously had no controls could reduce energy costs by 40 per cent. Using a modern time proportional and integral (TPI) room thermostat can increase these overall savings up to 53 per cent.

The benefits of implementing these upgrades to a property are numerous both for landlords and their tenants. Not only does the landlord have the peace of mind that they will not receive repeated calls from tenants whose heating and hot water is malfunctioning, but having less of their income tied up in paying energy bills may also make it easier for tenants to afford to pay their rent each month.

Adding room thermostats

and TRVs to a heating system that previously

had no controls could reduce

energy costs by

40%

Boiler Plus has introduced new minimum requirements that must be adhered to whenever a boiler is fitted – either as a new or replacement installation – in any existing building in England. As a result, registered gas engineers must make sure every gas boiler they install is a minimum of 92 per cent efficient, while ensuring boiler interlock, time and temperature control is present and operational for all gas and oil boiler replacements.

At least one option from flue gas heat recovery, weather compensation, load compensation, or a smart thermostat (with automation and optimisation) must also be specified and installed along with the boiler.This applies to new combi boiler installations only, while other boiler types must have a central heating timer and thermostat installed as a minimum control.

These changes have been introduced as the next step in the government’s long-term plan to reduce domestic carbon emissions and encourage energy efficiency. Although these new measures will increase the upfront costs of any installation work, they will help landlords maximise the savings on their tenants’ fuel bills over the longer term.

As part of the Building Regulations, these minimum standards apply to all sectors of the market, including owner-occupier and rental properties. Landlords, like homeowners, are required to comply with the regulations when commissioning such work on their properties, otherwise they risk facing prosecution and financial penalties. While this increase in the cost of upgrading heating systems may appeal to those landlords whose tenants pay the energy bills, as it puts additional costs on the landlord while giving any potential

Making the smart choice with controls

10 /

Registered gas engineers must make sure every gas boiler they install in England is a minimum of

92% efficient

The MEES standards outlined in the Clean Growth Strategy is not the only new legislation to come to market this year. In April, Boiler Plus was also introduced by DBEIS, as additional legislation under Part L of the Building Regulations.

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savings to the tenants, it would benefit those landlords who charge tenants a flat rate for rent and utilities, and keep the utility bills in their own name.

For tenants, a more modern heating system brings with it improved levels of comfort, reliable warmth during the winter months and even the possibility of smart controls that will allow them to better match their heating system to their lifestyle.

As well as improving the efficiency of a heating system, and now being compulsory to an extent under Boiler Plus regulations, ‘smart’ controls can also be of benefit to those landlords looking to differentiate themselves from their competition.

Internet-connected smart controls, introduced to the market over the past few years, have given occupants more flexibility than ever before, enabling them to truly match their heating systems to their lifestyles and habits.

While, historically, heating systems have been largely ‘fit and forget’ unless repairs are required or servicing is due, these smart heating controls, with their ability to interact with voice-controlled home assistants – such as the Amazon Echo and Google Home – have helped make modern heating systems aspirational and something to be desired.

As the rental market becomes increasingly congested, and landlords must seek new ways to stand out from the crowd and attract good tenants, installing internet-connected controls and thermostats can be a truly smart way to offer something extra, while also helping to ensure their systems comply with current UK Building Regulations.

More than 50 people each year die from carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning, according to official figures, while thousands more are treated in hospital for long-term exposure to the lethal gas. The actual figures are suspected to be far higher, as the symptoms of CO poisoning – such as headache, dizziness, vomiting and nausea – can be mistaken easily for those of common illnesses such as flu.

Research conducted by charity National Energy Action (NEA) in 201713 found fuel-poor households on low incomes are more at risk of CO poisoning, meaning the risks are higher in rental properties, where tenants are more likely to be in fuel poverty. According to the NEA findings, elevated CO levels greater than 10ppm were found in 35 per cent of those homes monitored during the research. Prolonged exposure to CO above these levels can severely damage occupants’ health, causing problems including memory impairment and intellectual deterioration.

The charity believes low-income households are more likely to be reliant on gas fires for heating, with these appliances generally being older and less well maintained than other types of heating systems, again increasing the risk of CO poisoning.

In one study cited by the NEA, fuel-poor private renters in a deprived area of Leeds recorded 361 higher CO readings over a period of two months. The occupants were using their gas fires for heating because they could not afford to run the central heating. CO detectors were installed only in 35 per cent of all the homes examined as part of the study.

Another, particularly troubling finding from the NEA study was examples of fuel-poor households resorting to using their gas cookers for room heating, because their heating systems were inoperable. One pensioner had been suffering from severe headaches and, following an investigation, her gas wall heater was found to be leaking CO into the property. The wall heater was condemned, but she was unable to fund a replacement and instead relied on the gas oven for warmth.

Finding ways to install modern, highly efficient heating systems can help to tackle this problem, by decommissioning failing or unsafe appliances and helping to protect occupants from the risks of CO poisoning, while also lowering fuel bills at the same time.

With awareness growing over the financial hardships many low-income households face, and the impact this can have on their ability to heat their homes, the government, local authorities and industry stakeholders are looking increasingly at ways to help fund efficiency improvements.

Ensuring carbon monoxide safety

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13 http://www.coportal.org/data/197/nea:-understanding-carbon-monoxide-risk-in-households-vulnerable-to-fuel-poverty/

More than 50 people each year die from carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning

Modern heating systems do more than just improve efficiency and make the tenant’s home more comfortable – they also make the property’s occupants much safer.

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14 http://www.co-bealarmed.co.uk/2017/10/renters-at-risk-we-find-one-in-three-dont-have-a-life-saving-co-alarm/

For example, in 2017 National Grid announced a £150 million Warm Homes Fund, to which local authorities and social landlords can apply for funding to install affordable heating solutions in fuel-poor households which don’t use mains gas as their primary source of heat.

Building Regulations aimed at cutting CO risks are far stricter in the rental sector than they are in the wider community, though these still vary by region. In October 2015, new Building Regulations in England and Wales made it a requirement for private landlords to have a CO detector fitted in any room with a solid fuel appliance. Failure to comply with the legislation can lead to an up to £5,000 fine.

In Scotland and Northern Ireland, by contrast, these regulations also include combustion appliances such as gas boilers, rather than just solid fuel appliances. A Private Members Bill – introduced by Eddie Hughes, MP for Walsall North – is currently being debated in Parliament that proposes changing the Building Regulations in England and Wales, to make it mandatory for landlords to install CO alarms in all properties, and not just those containing a solid fuel appliance.

Despite these risks, research for the Carbon Monoxide Be Alarmed! Campaign in 2017 revealed that almost a third of renters in the UK still do not have a CO alarm installed in their property14.

Tightening this legislation would naturally help improve CO poisoning protections for tenants, however, it can sometimes be difficult for landlords to ensure this protection is maintained, as tenants often remove batteries from CO alarms to stop the audible warnings, or make it difficult for landlords and installers to access the properties to carry out routine maintenance and servicing on appliances.

New technologies provided by heating system manufacturers are already helping to tackle this problem. For example, interconnected smoke, heat and CO alarms can be installed that are hardwired into a property’s electrical mains rather than requiring regular battery checks, giving a more complete and sustained level of protection and helping landlords to fulfil their legal obligations.

Almost

1/3 of renters in the

UK still do not have a CO

alarm installed in their

property

One of the key requirements landlords must comply with is to have an annual gas safety check carried out by a registered gas engineer, who must then complete a Landlord’s Gas Safety Record to prove that all gas appliances in the property have been checked for safety. However, for many landlords, councils and housing associations, gaining access to their properties to carry out such checks can be challenging.

Recent amendments to Regulation 36(A) of the Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 2018 mean that gas servicing can now be completed up to two months before the existing deadline, while still allowing landlords to keep the original deadline date, much like the current MOT system used on vehicles.

The changes were made to introduce flexibility to the timing of the gas safety checks, in acknowledgement of the

difficulties sometimes faced by landlords who struggle to arrange suitable times when tenants will allow engineers into their homes to carry out the inspections.

Other features designed into modern heating systems can also help limit the difficulty landlords have in gaining access to a home when an annual service is due.

A number of boilers now exist that can be programmed with the date a boiler service is due. If that date then passes without a visit from an engineer, the boiler will begin to modulate down and will no longer operate to full capacity. While these boilers would never switch off and leave the tenant completely without heating, it is designed to encourage them to contact their landlord or management company and arrange a service visit, in order to restore their heating to previous comfort levels.

Gaining access to rental properties

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13 http://www.coportal.org/data/197/nea:-understanding-carbon-monoxide-risk-in-households-vulnerable-to-fuel-poverty/

One of the key requirements landlords must comply with is to have an annual gas safety check carried out by a registered gas engineer

Whether a property is privately rented or managed by a local authority or housing association, something common to landlords in all sectors is the desire for any maintenance of the property to be simple and straightforward.

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14 http://www.co-bealarmed.co.uk/2017/10/renters-at-risk-we-find-one-in-three-dont-have-a-life-saving-co-alarm/

Ultimately, it’s in everyone’s best interest that all concerned understand the importance of an annual service, to improve safety levels, make the home more comfortable for the tenant, and to make it easier for engineers and landlords to gain access when necessary.

Early intervention by a registered gas engineer can keep any repair bills to a minimum, ensure any faults are dealt with before breakdown occurs, and ultimately help prevent tenants from suddenly finding themselves without heating and hot water.

All of this can be explained by the landlord during the handover when a new tenant takes occupancy of the property, or by the gas engineer themselves when a system repair or replacement takes place.

Advanced control systems have taken this one stage further, however, with internet-connected technologies making it even easier for any faults to be rectified.

Available on the UK market since 2016, monitoring systems such as Ariston Net

enable engineers to access a system remotely, fault find and diagnose boiler problems in real time using system status and error reports, while also having access to the system’s functions, fault codes and boiler parameters at the click of a button, without having to be on site.

This means registered gas engineers can be fully apprised of any problem before they arrive at the property, bringing with them any parts required and making it far more likely that the heating and hot water can be fixed during their first visit.

In some cases, certain parameters can be changed remotely, or the boiler reset, meaning that this technology can even enable the boiler to be repaired without an engineer needing to visit the property at all. This is a huge benefit to all landlords, not just those whose tenants are reluctant to allow access to the property, as it reduces the amount of work they have to do to make sure the tenants have the heating and hot water provision that they are entitled to by law.

This is particularly true if an older, standard efficiency boiler has been upgraded to a new, high efficiency condensing model. These systems work quite differently, operating much more efficiently when the water that returns to the boiler is kept at a temperature of 55°C or below. Ensuring that landlords and tenants understand this, and amend their behaviour where necessary to ensure this happens, can help keep energy bills as low as possible.

It’s common to hear stories where tenants will leave the heating on full blast while opening windows, or who have the thermostat turned up to 25°C because they think it will make the house warm up faster.

This is, of course, a myth, as is the belief that you have to turn the thermostat up during cold weather when, in fact, if the system is set correctly, it should maintain a comfortable temperature irrespective of the temperature outside the property.

These myths are commonplace after years of misunderstanding and confusion but, to tackle them, landlords need to understand exactly how the systems in their properties work. That means, ideally, being present at a rented property when a new system is being installed, and engaging with the engineer at the commissioning stage, so they can be walked through any changes to the way the system should be controlled.

This is truer now than ever, as technologies develop and increasingly sophisticated control systems come to the UK market, requiring users to interact with their heating in a different way.

While the temptation may be to leave it to the tenant, who will be primarily responsible for controlling the system on a day-to-day basis, there will inevitably come a time when that tenant no longer lives at the property, and new tenants will likely look to their landlord for a full explanation of how the system

Proper commissioning

16 /

For landlords, ensuring heating and hot water efficiency for their tenants means more than just upgrading the appliances and controls, and then walking away. It is equally, if not more important, to ensure the tenants understand exactly how the system works, and how to get the best results from the fuel they consume – something that can either be explained to a tenant when the annual safety check is carried out, or when repairs or upgrades have been completed.

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works, particularly if it is new technology that they haven’t encountered before.

Engaging with the installer at the first instance means the landlord can fully explain to any subsequent tenant how to get the best from their heating system, potentially saving weeks of phone calls at a later date as the tenant struggles to make the system work the way they want it to.

As the government looks to improve energy efficiency in housing across the board, the rental market will face continuing scrutiny and tightening legislation, to ensure tenants are guaranteed a safe environment that is not detrimental to their health, and in an attempt to tackle spiralling energy bills.

For the landlords who must meet these legislative requirements, the prospect of the changes they will have to make may seem daunting, especially when the financial implications are considered.

As the UK’s rental market grows and more households look for long-term-tenancies, so the demand for modern housing and

high-specification systems will also increase. Those landlords who choose to embrace these changes, and see them as an opportunity rather than a burden, are likely to find themselves with the pick of the crop of renters, if their properties can offer such benefits as highly energy efficient heating systems, complete with smart internet-connected controls.

Heating experts such as Ariston have worked tirelessly to ensure their products provide the very best system solutions for any property type. They are ideally placed to offer advice and guidance to landlords and tenants alike, as the process of upgrading the UK’s rental properties continues, and to ensure all concerned can enjoy the flexibility and ease of use which the latest technologies can provide, and which is increasingly required by today’s busy lifestyles.

Engaging with the installer at

the firstinstance

means the landlord can fully

explain to any subsequent

tenant how to get the best

from their heating system