Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps he is taking to bring all homes in England and Wales to at least an Energy Performance Certificate C rating by 2035.

The average Energy Performance Certificate of homes in England in Wales has improved year on year thanks to government policies, including building regulations and the Energy Company Obligation (ECO). As of 2015, almost 79 per cent of homes in England had an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) rating of D or better compared to 39 per cent in 2005. In April 2017 the government launched ECO: Help to Heat. We expect ECO: Help to Heat to upgrade the energy efficiency of well over 300,000 homes per year. We already have regulations in place that mean that from April 2018 all private domestic and non-domestic landlords will need to ensure that their properties reach at least an EPC E rating before granting a tenancy to new or existing tenants.