Private renters in England and Wales are living in cold, damp and mouldy homes and forking out vast sums every month for the privilege. It’s unfair, harmful to health and terrible value for money. It’s no wonder renters are most likely to experience fuel poverty, at 21%, with over 40% telling us they regularly struggle to pay their energy bills.
At Generation Rent, we received funding from the European Climate Foundation with the aim of strengthening policy and legislation to improve the energy efficiency of private rented homes in the UK, reducing fuel poverty in the process.
Our new report – ‘Raising standards, not rents‘ – explores the impact of cold, damp homes and high energy bills on the wellbeing of private renters, alongside detailed analysis of the government’s plans to improve the energy efficiency and policy recommendations to make sure energy efficiency improvements mean renters are able to enjoy the benefits of their new warmer home and cheaper bills.
Ben Twomey, Chief Executive, said:
“Getting this policy right will be crucial. Reducing energy bills, carbon emissions and the UK’s reliance on fossil fuels should be a win-win-win, but vested interests are trying to block this. Unless the policy is designed carefully, renters could see bill savings cancelled out by rent rises, losing the government crucial support for these measures and benefiting landlords and fossil fuel companies.
“But we can imagine another reality, one where the government chooses to put common sense protections in place to allow renters to enjoy the benefits of their new warmer homes and cheaper bills. This will show unequivocally that social justice and climate change policies can work side by side, directly benefitting the day to day lives of working people, while helping to lower emissions and protect our planet.”
