St Austell and Newquay Lib Dems

Mr Stephen Gilbert MP

St Austell and Newquay Lib Dems

10 South Street

St Austell

PL25 5BN

16 August 2011

Dear Mr Gilbert,

I am writing to express my concern at the slow and weak legislation the Government has added to the Energy Bill to introduce a minimum energy efficiency standard for rented homes. I know you signed EDM 653 calling for a minimum standard from 2016, so I hope you will now support amendments to make sure this standard is enforceable and starts on time.

In Britain today, 5.5 million households live in fuel poverty, where they cannot afford to heat their homes properly. This includes 8348households in your constituency and many more of your constituents will have experienced freezing homes at some point during their lives.

Some of the coldest British homes are found in the private rented sector - the worst maintained part of the housing stock. An estimated 150,000 households could be lifted out of fuel poverty by bringing the coldest rented homes (those with an energy efficiency rating of F or G) up to a higher standard. Tenants living in these homes will save an average of £488 on their annual energy bill and the UK will save 1.87 million tonnes of carbon dioxide every year.

A wide coalition of almost 40 health and consumer organisations, green groups, children's charities, councils and grassroots tenants' rights groups have campaigned for a minimum energy efficiency standard from 2016. Over 180 MPs have signed a parliamentary motion (EDM 653) supporting this demand.

The announcement by the Government that it would introduce an amendment to the Bill to establish a minimum energy efficiency standard for rented homes was therefore welcome. But this needs to be backed up by effective legislation. Unfortunately the provisions on the private rented sector now in the Energy Bill are inadequate, lack urgency and contain some significant loopholes:

• Starting in 2018 (rather than 2016):

-This is two years after the Government's target to end fuel poverty and means an unacceptable delay to all the benefits to tenants and taxpayers.

-The independent Committee on Climate Change in its recent 3rdProgress Report to Parliament specifically called for "earlier introduction of regulation for the private rented sector", stating that "there is no reason to delay implementation of this aspect of the proposals."

-By 2016 almost 90% of private rented properties are likely to have changed tenants - the same number as by 2018 – so landlords will have plenty of opportunity to make the necessary changes.

• The new law will not make it an offence to market the coldest rented homes to let, and letting agents couldn't be prosecuted for letting dangerously cold homes below the minimum standard on behalf of a landlord. This will make it unnecessarily expensive and difficult to enforce the new law.

• Properties below the new 'minimum standard' won't actually have to be improved up to the minimum standard - as long as they do what they can under the new Green Deal it will be perfectly legal to carry on letting the property even if it is still dangerously cold. This significant loophole must be closed.

• Tenants won't be given protection against being evicted by unscrupulous landlords when they ask for energy efficiency improvements or request the Green Deal.

• A new law to ensure rented homes meet a basic standard of insulation and heating could be a significant step forward. It could protect thousands of vulnerable families from fuel poverty and high energy bills, and bring health benefits for those tenants currently living in cold homes. As it stands the 'minimum standard' in the Energy Bill will fall short of that ambition.

Please add your name to the amendments to the Energy Bill tabled by John Leech MP for debate at Report Stage. They will make possible the changes outlined above.

Yours sincerely,