It should come as no surprise that the buildings sector is one of the largest contributors to the UK’s overall Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Emissions.

Property emissions across the residential and commercial sectors in the UK have been calculated at an average of 24% of the total UK Greenhouse Gas emissions in 2021. This is primarily from the burning of oil and gas to provide heating and hot water. Whilst alternative methods are continually being researched in order to omit these emissions entirely, there are other ways to ensure you, as an owner or an occupier are operating as sustainably as possible. Moving across to electric boilers with green (renewable) tariffs is one of the ways to combat these emissions.

Within the property sector we also hold a lot of influence over the biodiversity of each area and the effects of development and planning decisions can destroy as quickly as it can provide benefit to the locality. Certifications such as BREEAM or Fitwel are a brilliant way to ensure developers are constructing properties with the environment in mind and not disturbing the local biodiversity or emitting significant amounts of GHG.

As consultants in this area, it is our aim to promote awareness in all aspects of the property life cycle so however you decide to decrease your property emissions, it’s important that you begin taking the right steps.

So why should it matter to you?

New legislation is currently being discussed which could mean that, from April 2025, all properties being let to new tenants will be required to have an EPC (Energy Performance Certification) rating of Grade C or higher. Not complying with the new legislation could mean fines of up to £30,000.

This legislation is the latest in a series of new bills being passed as UK law, such as the Environment Act 2021 which saw provisions to strengthen and improve the duty on public bodies to conserve and enhance biodiversity. Or the EVCP (Electrical Vehicle Charging Points) regulation brought in in June of this year which aims to increase the amount of EVCP’s in new developments.

While the new bills provide guidance, it is up to us, the Landlords, the Agents, and the Tenants to begin making the necessary changes. Sanderson Weatherall is on its own Sustainability journey, with the Environment and our Clients at the core of every decision. For more information, please contact; SustainabilityTeam@sw.co.uk