Tamlite urges action on lighting energy regulations
Accelerating investment in energy efficiency is essential if the UK’s commercial property sector is to meet the strengthened Minimum Energy Efficiency Standards (MEES) that came into force this month, says lighting manufacturer Tamlite Lighting.
Introduced eight years ago, the MEES legislation stated that property owners or landlords could not grant a tenancy to new or existing tenants of properties with an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) rating of F or G.
From this month, those requirements will apply to existing leases too, meaning it will be unlawful to continue to let properties with an F or G rating.
Tamlite says it has long championed the retrofit of legacy real estate with low carbon technologies including modern LED lighting systems, coupled with intelligent control networks.
The company believes that with the replacement of outdated lighting, buildings can be more efficient, generating energy savings of between 60 to 80 per cent.
For commercial landlords, this may be the difference between a building being lettable, or unlettable under the forthcoming legal changes.
The news that all let commercial properties will need to have a minimum EPC rating of E has already sent shockwaves throughout the UK property market. Recent research by real estate firm Savills has indicated that the changes could mean 185 million square feet of retail space in the UK could soon become ‘unlettable’, while a 2023 study from BNP Paribas Real Estate focused on inner London suggested that 8 per cent of existing commercial stock in that region could be impossible to let.
Failure to comply with the strengthened MEES legislation means significant fines for those who fail to bring their let commercial properties up to standard. The onus is on property owners and landlords to make the necessary changes.
Total operational carbon emissions from all buildings make up around 17 per cent of the UK’s overall emissions; and lighting accounts for nearly 5 per cent of global CO2 emissions.
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