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

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what plans he has to ensure that non-domestic properties used by community groups and clubs can become more energy efficient.

The Government has a range of policies aimed at improving the energy efficiency of non-domestic properties such as those used by community groups and clubs.

Where the community buildings are owned by the public sector, they are eligible for energy efficiency reduction funding through the Public Sector Energy Efficiency Loan Scheme. The capital pot for England stands at £385 million by the end of 2020/21. This funding, managed by Salix Finance, has delivered over 17,000 projects, significantly improving energy performance in the public sector. There is also the rural community energy fund which supports local communities in developing and designing energy projects locally. These projects can include community and club buildings.

We have also put in place minimum energy efficiency standards in the non-domestic rental sector. The Energy Efficiency (Private Rented Property)(England and Wales) Regulations 2015 require landlords of non-domestic properties to improve their building’s energy performance to an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) rating of E. We consulted in October 2019 on raising the minimum standard to an EPC B by 2030, where cost effective. This is expected to cover up to 85% of properties in the non-domestic rental sector.