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

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment his Department has made of the effect of the application of band E energy efficiency standards on the amount of industrial and commercial property available for UK businesses.

The private rented sector Energy Performance Certificate band E minimum energy efficiency standard was established in the Energy Efficiency (Private Rented Property)(England and Wales) Regulations 2015.

The Impact Assessment published alongside the 2015 Regulations estimated that, as of 2014, approximately 200,000 non-domestic private rented sector properties in England and Wales had an energy performance rating below E, representing approximately 18% of the total non-domestic rental stock. The Department does not anticipate that the application of the regulations will have any effect on the availability of this property for UK businesses.