Why we need minimum Building Energy Ratings in private rental homes

If you rent, you don’t get to choose your boiler, insulation level, or your windows, but you do pay the bills. Minimum BER rules would change that.

As winter approaches, so does the looming prospect of being faced with eye-watering energy bills. This, for many, would even mean being forced to choose between heating and eating.

A major reason for such crippling energy bills is the pervasiveness of poorly insulated homes across the country. In addition to extortionate bills, energy inefficient homes also mean poor health and high emissions. 

This has to change. The Government recognised this themselves in their 2021 Housing for All plan where they committed to introducing minimum Building Energy Ratings (BERs) in the private rental sector from 2025, where feasible. This would set new rules that require properties to meet a certain energy efficiency standard in order to be rented out. This was a welcome commitment, and as the Government said in the plan, one that will increase energy efficiency, help alleviate fuel poverty, protect tenant’s health and improve comfort levels in rental homes, as the Government said in the plan. However, to date, there has been no effort to act on this commitment. 

There is a clear opportunity now to make the Government deliver on their own promise. People Before Profit’s Bill on Introducing Minimum BERs in the private rental sector is scheduled for second stage in the Dáil on 6th November. This has also been a long-standing demand of our ‘Warm Homes for All: Tenants for Climate Justice’ campaign. We are also advocating for strong protections to be in place alongside the regulations to shield tenants from  higher housing costs or housing insecurity that may follow as a result of renovations.

Let’s delve deeper into this Bill and the issue at large.

The environmental, economical &  health impacts of energy inefficient homes

Poor insulation means more fossil fuel use, which aggravates the climate crisis. Nearly nine out of ten Irish homes are heated with fossil fuels. Too many of those homes are leaking heat, which is basically throwing money out the window. 

What’s more, poor insulation and building standards means we’re at health risk in our own homes, with children living in cold homes being over twice as likely to suffer from respiratory problems than those living in warm homes.

In a nutshell, living in a poorly insulated home doesn't just feel miserable—it drives up energy bills, harms health and worsens the climate crisis. This is a climate justice and social justice issue—not like there’s ever separating the two! 

Tenants are bearing the brunt

Artwork by Iris Aghedo

Tenants are among the worst impacted by this issue of poor quality, energy inefficient housing. In 2023, 34% of renters had difficulties keeping their homes warm, compared to 17% of homeowners. Tenants have next to no control over the insulation of the homes they live in. They are often forced to live in unhealthy, substandard homes whilst also being left with no agency whatsoever to do even basic insulation or heating system upgrades.

This is despite renters constituting a significant portion of our population, with over half a million people living in rented properties in the country (as of 2022). Tenants in Ireland, particularly younger generations and low-income households, are feeling the pressure of the cost-of-living and housing crises.

Minimum BERS in private rentals - a solution to the issue 

Retrofitting or energy efficiency renovations is how the BER rating of homes can be improved - which means better health, lower bills, as well as lower emissions. Introducing minimum BERs in private rental homes represents a critical opportunity for making sure everyone can be included in the energy transition. Minimum BERs rules would work by triggering improvements in the worst-performing homes first, at the point when the tenancy changes. These rules have already been introduced in the UK, France, and Belgium.

As Climate Action Network (CAN) Europe said in their report last year, if well-designed, Minimum Energy Performance Standards (MEPS) - such as the BERs in Ireland - hold an immense potential to support renewable heating in the rental sector, and help the most vulnerable. 

In the absence of any regulation on BERs in rental properties, landlords are able to rent out substandard and unhealthy homes. And tenants are left with no choice but to live in these cold, heat-leaking homes. This is further aggravated by the housing crisis in Ireland, which means tenants most often do not have many other homes to choose from—let alone a better insulated home. Many are left feeling grateful to at least have a home, even as the same home is causing them health troubles, undermining their wellbeing, and riddling them with high energy bills. 

This was also a finding of our ‘Roma Communities and Climate Justice’ research. Despite living in accommodation that was damp, mould-ridden and substandard, in the majority of cases, Roma respondents were grateful simply to have a roof over their heads. A young Roma woman is quoted as saying, “I am happy because I have a home but really the structure is very poorly made.”

The Government must pass the Bill 

The poor quality of the homes people are forced to live in - which are detrimental to people and our planet - is a component of the housing crisis in Ireland. The housing crisis in the country needs to be understood and addressed also in terms of the inadequate quality of homes.

Everyone deserves to live in a warm, healthy home that doesn’t wreak havoc on their health, finances and the environment. Living in warm, well insulated, healthy homes should no longer be a luxury that only a privileged few can access. This is the bare minimum and the Government should make it accessible and affordable for all.

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Blog by Nandana James, Communications Content Officer