The new Minimum Energy Efficiency Standards initiative, or MEES, shows a step-change in the government's focus on the importance of energy efficiency in buildings in the UK.
This legislation requires any building made available for rent to reach a benchmark energy rating of E as a minimum. In April 2023, this extends to all currently let buildings even if mid-tenancy.
Failure to reach this standard renders the building ineligible for the granting of a new lease until one of the following scenarios has been applied:
1: A cost effective measure has been sourced, assessed and installed at the premises, to sufficiently improve the rating to E or above.
2: Relevant exemptions have been identified and registered.
All buildings must have a valid EPC which demonstrates the minimum standard after the start date.
Failure to comply with this legislation risks substantial penalties up to 20% of the rateable value of the building. The threshold is expected to move further in the future being a minimum band C in 2027 and band B in 2030.
Tudor Edward has been at the forefront of new innovations in the energy assessment sector for 15 years, and has developed a flexible and comprehensive package of services to address requirements of any size and type.
The approach follows a simple 4 step process:
Phase 1:
Identify - Complete a preliminary assessment on your building’s current rating where appropriate, make initial observations concerning where inefficiencies can be cost effectively addressed, along with initial recommendations of measures and remedial works.
Phase 2:
Assess - Complete a new survey of the building and provide a draft rating based on current fit-out and usage. Produce simple illustrations of the impact of cost-effective improvements to the building, along with costings and payback calculations. We will also identify and register any appropriate exemptions at this stage.
Phase 3:
Report - Produce a Bespoke summary of works required, relating to your building or portfolio of buildings, illustrating the measure cost vs impact on EPC rating. This is designed to support investment discussions, point you at any funding campaigns available to assist with investment, and put you in contact with reliable installers to complete any required improvement works.
Phase 4:
Review - We will assess the performance of the building post-improvement and issue a valid EPC that reflects the upgrades you have invested in. We will also keep you up to date, with all future changes in legislation, and their potential impact on your building or buildings.
We provide a range of additional services and intelligence to support your investment strategy.
These include exhaustive auditing of buildings to component level, to identify and illustrate where your energy spend is mostly consumed.
We can also project manage the entire end to end upgrade process, seeking quotations from 3 reputable suppliers.