COMMUNITIES AND LOCAL
GOVERNMENT News Release (082) issued by The Government News Network
on 18 April 2007
Most first-time
buyers purchasing a home with a 'E, F or G' energy
rating could benefit from grants to help improve the energy
efficiency of their homes.
Energy Performance Certificates (EPCs) - A-G energy ratings for
homes similar to consumer friendly fridge ratings - will be part
of Home Information Packs (HIPs), which will be required for all
homes being marketed from 1 June.
Subsidies of between £100 to £300 are typically available from
energy suppliers to help fund the costs of insulation, and other
energy efficiency improvements. In addition some first-time buyers
could be eligible for Government grants of up to as much as £2,700.
But the Government wants go further to make it easier for
homebuyers to access grants for energy efficiency measures,
linking them to new EPCs.
In a speech on Home Information Packs today, Housing Minister
Yvette Cooper said she will be hosting a major meeting of energy
suppliers, local authorities, and the Energy Savings Trust (EST),
to develop new measures to help home owners implement the
recommendations in EPCs.
This could include ideas such as a 'one stop shop'
where homeowners, after receiving their energy ratings, could
access grants and get reliable quotes at the same time to carry
out improvements needed.
Yvette Cooper said:
"We want homebuyers with poorly rated homes to be able to
get extra support. From 1 June we want homebuyers to have easy
access to help so they can make changes recommended in their EPC.
Average homebuyers purchasing E, F or G rated homes should be able
to qualify for £100-£300 support to help with better insulating
their homes. Depending on their personal circumstances or the
nature of the improvements needed, they may be able to get even
more help."
New research shows that consumers want to know more about energy
efficiency, with the majority supporting the idea of energy ratings.
According to You Gov, more than two thirds of people (72%) want
more information about the energy efficiency of the homes they are
buying. The recent poll also reveals that 71% of people think it
is a good idea to rate the energy efficiency of homes. Nearly half
(47%) said they would make their home more energy efficient if
they had more information on what to do.
The Energy Savings Trust has estimated that householders could
save around £300 a year if they undertook measures in EPCs. If
only one in five homeowners make the basic changes recommended,
this could cut carbon emissions by the equivalent of taking
100,000 cars off the road.
Yvette Cooper said:
"We know people want better information about the energy
efficiency of their homes. That is why it is so disappointing that
there are still some in the industry opposing EPCs or trying to
water them down."
In her speech, Yvette Cooper highlighted how HIPs will benefit
the consumer by creating greater transparency in the housing
market and driving down costs. She also challenged the whole of
the industry to put the consumer first.
She said:
"Most people recognise that reform is long overdue. The home
buying and selling process has barely changed for a generation.
Other industries and markets have become quicker, more efficient
and cheaper for consumers. For home buying and selling, the
reverse has happened. "The lack of transparency, effective
competition and innovation means many consumers can often end up
paying more than they should, and coping with far more stress and
uncertainty than they should.
"But already there is evidence that reforms are improving
competition. New providers are entering the market and new
companies are cutting costs and prices. One provider has said they
will offer HIPs for free. Others will do so on a 'no sale no
fee' basis. Some local authorities are already cutting search
costs too.
Yvette Cooper concluded:
"HIPs are simply energy certificates alongside the legal
documents and searches that you need anyway. But by providing the
information clearly in a pack at the beginning of the process,
HIPs can speed up the process making it clearer for consumers what
they are getting and paying for, to improve services and keep
costs down.
"It is important that vested interests are not put ahead of
the needs of the consumer and the wider environment. The challenge
instead to all in the home buying and selling process should be to
seize on the opportunity from HIPs and EPCs to help homebuyers get
their bills and their carbon emissions down.
"The Government's view is clear: consumers are the
priority. They haven't had a good enough deal in the past. We
want them to get a better deal in future."
Notes to Editors:
1. A Home Information Pack is a set of documents that provides
buyers and sellers with information they need to know about a
property upfront. Packs will include:
* An Energy Performance Certificate, the first document in the
Pack, which will provide a rating on the energy efficiency of the
home, plus advice on how to make energy savings
* Searches
* Other standard legal documents, such as title deeds and a sale statement
* Leasehold information (where appropriate)
* A voluntary Home Condition Report, which details the condition
of the property.
2. You Gov conducted research between 22nd and 26th March 2007,
interviewing interviewing a sample of 2,819 individual's
representative of the adult population of Great Britain.
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