Minimum Energy Efficiency Standards (MEES) for Domestic Properties

The Minimum Energy Efficiency Standards (MEES) impose a minimum required EPC rating on properties rented out privately.

This currently applies in England & Wales only, and the minimum rating required is band E.

Properties with a rating in band F or G therefore cannot be rented privately.

Criteria define whether a property/tenancy falls within the scope of the legislation, and exemptions from it are available for a small number of specific reasons.

The regulations cover domestic and non-domestic (i.e. commercial) properties, but this page only considers domestic properties.

Landlord guidance is available on the Government website here:

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/domestic-private-rented-property-minimum-energy-efficiency-standard-landlord-guidance

This page includes information about:

• Determining whether your property falls within the scope of the legislation
• Information about the current £3,500 cost cap
• Information about funding sources in relation to the cost cap
• Selecting improvement measures
• Registering an 'Exemption' if required

ENGLAND & WALES

In England & Wales, recent consultations have indicated the Government's desire to:

1) Change the format of EPCs so the single cost-based rating (metric) currently used is replaced by multiple metrics as follows:

• Fabric Performance: "Assessing the thermal performance of a building’s envelope and promoting the importance of well-insulated, comfortable, and energy-efficient spaces"

• Heating System: "Providing information on the efficiency and environmental impact of a building’s heating source and encouraging the adoption of cleaner heating technologies"

• Smart Readiness: "Assessing a building’s potential to integrate smart technologies that can optimise energy consumption and the ability of consumers to benefit from cheaper smart tariffs"

• Energy Cost: "Helping individuals understand the financial implications of a building’s energy efficiency and make informed decisions about potential improvements" - essentially the same as the current cost-based metric.

https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/reforms-to-the-energy-performance-of-buildings-regime/reforms-to-the-energy-performance-of-buildings-regime#overview-of-proposed-reforms

2) Change the MEES requirements, such that a landloard's EPC will need to reach a minimum standard set against the fabric performance metric and then also a secondary standard set against either the smart readiness metric or heating system metric.

This means that landlords would be required to first invest in measures such as loft insulation, cavity wall insulation, and double glazing, to prioritise achieving the standard set against the fabric performance metric first.

The standard required against each metric has not been indicated, and neither has the measurement criteria for these metrics.

New tenancies would need to comply from 2028 and existing tenancies from 2030.

Existing EPCs would be allowed to run to the end of their 10 year validity periods and any with a rating of band C or better would be deemed to comply with the new proposals.

https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/improving-the-energy-performance-of-privately-rented-homes-2025-update

SCOTLAND

At the time of writing, Scotland is slightly different as follows:

1) Legislation has already been passed in the Scottish Government to change the format of EPCs from October 2026 such that the single cost-based metric currently used, will be replaced by three separate metrics as follows:

• Heat Retention Rating
• Heating System Rating
• Energy Cost Rating

The following link to this legislation is interesting because it lays out technical band thresholds for the Heat Retention rating. 

https://www.gov.scot/publications/energy-performance-buildings-scotland-regulations-2025-update-government-response-epc-reform-consultations/

The legislation also describes how existing EPCs will cease to be valid following introduction of the new format, although some transitional arrangements will be available.

2) Recent Scottish Government consultation indicates they also intend to introduce MEES in Scotland with the requirement that a property attains:

• Band C or better in the Heat Retention Rating metric 

This would be met by a property having a Heat Retention Rating (HRR) value of 120 kWh/m2/year or less.

This would be the only requirement in Scotland to comply with MEES, whereas in England & Wales the proposal is to meet two separate metrics.

https://www.gov.scot/publications/consultation-draft-energy-efficiency-domestic-private-rented-property-scotland-regulations/

Many landlords are worrying about the tightening requirements of MEES in England & Wales.

The Scottish EPC reform legislation and MEES consultation documentation is interesting because they present the heat retention (actually expressed as a heat loss) value ranges of each band, A to G. This is measured in kWh/m2/year.

You could potentially expect someting similar to be set for England & Wales in the near future.

Also, the Scottish legislation indicates an approach to how the Heating System metric will be judged, although the information is not complete.

This may be useful reading for landlords in England & Wales wondering what might be implemented here. 

The Government have made a number of exemptions available from the MEES legislation. I'll cover these in our separate page: