Nottingham Council has announced that it has been awarded Government funds to enable it to enforce energy efficiency regulations saying "this funding will help create a new team who will be making sure that properties are meeting the national minimum energy efficiency standards [MEES] and that no rental property has an EPC (energy performance certificate) below 'E'."

The funding of £95,000 was awarded to the council by the Dept' for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) and, although there is a high proportion of properties in Nottingham that do have EPCs (70.9%), the council says that not all of these will have the current minimum 'E' rating.

The council also says that it will be contacting private landlords and managing agents about their MEES legal obligations and offering advice and support as well as signposting to "third party" organisations that provide funding to upgrade properties from 'F' or 'G' ratings to a higher rating (new MEES regulations will be coming into force from 2025 to raise EPC ratings to 'C'). However, where a landlord is unwilling to engage with the council or improve the energy efficiency of their property in line with the current regulations then the council will look to impose a civil penalty of up to £5000.

Cllr. Linda Woodings, the council's Portfolio Holder for Planning, Housing and Heritage, said "I'm pleased we've been given this funding to further our work to improve the energy efficiency standards of private rented homes across Nottingham .... This will help us to make a real difference to residents' lives .... " Nottingham Council has previously reported that selective licensing of private rented properties in the city has resulted in an improvement in the energy efficiency ratings of licensed rental properties.