In light of the recent energy price rises, the National Landlords Association (NLA) urges landlords to take advantage of new energy efficiency initiatives.
Energy company British Gas has joined SSE, which trades as Scottish Hydro, Swalec and Southern Electric, in announcing that it will increase its domestic gas and electricity prices. British Gas will raise its prices by an average of six per cent from November 16 and it is predicted that the other energy suppliers will follow suit.
The NLA encourages landlords to help their tenants find solutions to the rising cost of energy by taking advantage of the Government’s Green Deal scheme.
Under the Green Deal, the cost of energy efficiency improvements, such as loft and cavity wall insulation, will be paid through a loan attached to the property’s energy bills. Due to the energy saved by the improvements, the energy bill will never be higher than it would have been if the work had not been carried out.
David Salusbury, Chairman of the NLA, says: “The energy company price rise is now a twice-yearly affair and naturally a cause of concern for many. Landlords looking to help their tenants reduce their energy bills should take advantage of the Green Deal.
“The Golden Rule of the Green Deal means that tenants’ energy bills will never be more than if the energy efficiency measures had not been installed.
“We hope that the Green Deal will help tenants reduce their energy consumption, in turn easing the impact of any energy price rises”.