The National Residential Landlords Association is pressing the government to go further and faster when it comes to energy efficiency retrofitting.
The government has announced plans to train 18,000 retrofit professionals to install heat pumps, solar panels, insulation and heat networks. This training will be done through the extension of the Heat Training Grant until March next year, and launch of the Warm Homes Skills Programme – the latter seeing the government invest £8m to subsidise training for up to 9,000 installers and retrofit professionals.
But the NRLA says a simple shortage of tradespeople is a major obstacle to government plans to introduce new minimum energy efficiency standards.
The standards demand all rental homes have a minimum EPC rating of C by 2030 – and even earlier, by 2028, for new tenancies.
The NRLA argues that with a 166,000 shortfall in skilled tradespeople – set to increase to 250,000 by 2030 – the plans are “a pipedream” given there are 2.5m homes in need of upgrades.
Association chief executive Ben Beadle says: “We are pleased the government has recognised the significant issues posed by the shortage of skilled professionals in these key areas, however, more investment is needed.
“According to the Heat Pump Association there will need to be an extra 22,700 full-time heat pumps installers alone to meet demand – which gives you some idea of the scale of the challenge.
“Indeed, we estimate for all 2.5million homes to reach the proposed minimum EPC C target 5,000 homes a day would need to be upgraded, something we consider an impossible task.”
“We will continue to lobby government for increased financial support for landlords.”
The government is also consulting on an expanded Boiler Upgrade Scheme which, if it goes ahead, could see families potentially access air-to-air heat pumps and electric heating technologies such as heat batteries, which are currently not eligible for grants under the scheme.
This article is taken from Landlord Today