{"id":18635122,"url":"https://github.com/bbc-data-unit/energy-efficiency-private-rental","last_synced_at":"2025-08-27T13:22:51.541Z","repository":{"id":185639590,"uuid":"624335294","full_name":"BBC-Data-Unit/energy-efficiency-private-rental","owner":"BBC-Data-Unit","description":"Renting: Six out of 10 renters live in energy-inefficient 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Renting: Six out of 10 renters live in energy-inefficient homes\n\n![Map showing average home heat loss in different European countries: UK homes lose 3 degrees after five hours, higher than any other European country](https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/976/cpsprodpb/CBB3/production/_129274125_home_temperature_loss_map_v3_640-nc.png.webp)\n\nIn April 2022, the BBC Shared Data unit [reported](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/newsbeat-65136313) that six out of 10 recently inspected UK rental homes failed to meet a proposed new standard for energy efficiency.\n\nThe project involved analysing over 94 million recommendations from 24 million inspections in England and Wales up to the end of 2022, as well as a further 1.5 million inspections in Scotland, and found:\n\n* Out of 1.9 million lettings given EPC ratings in England and Wales over the last five full years (2018-22), 1.1 million, or 57%, were graded below a C.\n* Some 5% of privately rented properties did not have the potential to reach grade ‘C’, according to assessors.\n* A quarter of renters were using portable heaters as a secondary source of warmth in their homes.\n* Insulation was the most frequently recommended improvement measure for private rental properties, making up 35% of all recommendations.\n* Inspections of rental properties in the last five years found, on average, occupants could save almost a third (32%) on their current heating costs if their landlords made all the recommended improvements.\n* London boroughs and coastal areas made up 9 of the top 10 local authorities by proportion of properties that did not have the potential to reach grade C. \n\n\n\n## Background and briefing\n\nA [full briefing pack on the story can be found here](https://docs.google.com/document/d/15bqbvfRrsB4Wl65fzJNGQnNTf-jsUH_qthGZ1cUCPSw/edit#heading=h.eksa1piu3vo).\n\n## Get the data\n\n* Shared spreadsheet: [Energy efficiency in private rented accommodation](https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1-iCVMDG3DNkxoIVWmFQXlAOO5l4GYSCk9B0nESAK97g/edit?usp=sharing) (also as [an XLSX file here](https://github.com/BBC-Data-Unit/energy-efficiency-private-rental/blob/main/data/SDU_Energy%20efficiency%20in%20private%20rented%20accommodation%20FOR%20SHARING.xlsx))\n* England and Wales: [Open data on Energy Performance Certificates](https://epc.opendatacommunities.org)\n* Scotland: [Domestic Energy Performance Certificates](https://statistics.gov.scot/data/domestic-energy-performance-certificates)\n* Northern Ireland: [EPC data](https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1agvRoD5CbjKUpSm_XiyI81OC65o8S71OFJzeYMoNqM0/edit#gid=0) ([XLSX](https://github.com/BBC-Data-Unit/energy-efficiency-private-rental/blob/main/data/Northern%20Ireland%20EPC%20data.xlsx)) via [a Freedom of Information request](https://github.com/BBC-Data-Unit/energy-efficiency-private-rental/blob/main/data/Northern%20Ireland%20FOI%20response.pdf).\n* The ONS provide data on [Energy efficiency of Housing, England and Wales, country and region](https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/housing/datasets/energyefficiencyofhousingenglandandwalescountryandregion) which was used for contextual data on the proportion of property types covered by the EPCs, and for methodological guidance.\n\nFull data on energy performance certificates (EPCs) is provided in a series of separate CSV files which was combined for analysis. For the England and Wales data, this was attempted [using an R script](https://github.com/BBC-Data-Unit/energy-efficiency-private-rental/blob/main/scripts/energyeff01compile.md) and [command line](https://github.com/BBC-Data-Unit/energy-efficiency-private-rental/blob/main/scripts/combineepc.sh). In addition, a [Python Colab notebook was written](https://github.com/BBC-Data-Unit/energy-efficiency-private-rental/blob/main/scripts/epc_zip_file.ipynb) to unzip the files where there wasn't enough capacity on the computer. For the Scotland data data was combined using `cat` in command line. \n\nThe resulting files were too large for data analysis in spreadsheets, R or Python, so they were uploaded to Google BigQuery for initial analysis and filtering [using SQL queries documented here](https://github.com/BBC-Data-Unit/energy-efficiency-private-rental/blob/main/scripts/Energy%20efficiency%20(private%20rental)_%20BigQuery%20SQL%20queries.pdf).\n\nThe results of that initial analysis were further analysed using R notebooks in the [scripts folder](https://github.com/BBC-Data-Unit/energy-efficiency-private-rental/tree/main/scripts).\n\n## Visualisation\n\n* Stacked bar chart: Local authorities in England and Wales with the highest proportion of properties given a D-G EPC rating, 2018-2022\n* Map: Average home heat loss after five hours in 2020, by country (Europe)\n\n## Interviews\n\n* Louise, renter in Blackpool\n* Adam Royal, 25, renter in Blackpool\n* Rachelle Earwaker, senior economist, Joseph Rowntree Foundation\n* Conal Land, case worker, Citizens Advice \n* Chris Norris, director of policy, National Residential Landlords Association\n* Jonathan Winston, support manager, The Carbon Trust\n* Spokesperson, Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy\n\n## Partner usage\n\nThe Shared Data Unit makes data journalism available to news organisations across the media industry, as part of a partnership between the BBC and the News Media Association. Stories generated by the partnership included:\n\n* Andover Advertiser: [Half of private rentals in Test Valley would not meet energy standard](https://www.andoveradvertiser.co.uk/news/23461461.half-private-rentals-test-valley-not-meet-energy-standard/)\n* Basingstoke Gazette: [Basingstoke: 45 per cent of private rentals would fail energy standard](https://www.basingstokegazette.co.uk/news/23461486.basingstoke-45-per-cent-private-rentals-fail-energy-standard/)\n* Bristol Cable: [Revealed: Over half of Bristol’s rental homes would fail to meet proposed new energy efficiency standard](https://thebristolcable.org/2023/04/bristol-rental-homes-fail-energy-efficiency-standard/)\n* Daily Express: [Could you be paying more for your bills? Areas with worst energy efficient homes MAPPED](https://www.express.co.uk/news/uk/1754377/energy-efficiency-map-heating-bills-spt)\n* Hampshire Chronicle: [Half of rented homes in Winchester would fail to meet energy standard](https://www.hampshirechronicle.co.uk/news/23461361.half-rented-homes-winchester-fail-meet-energy-standard/)\n* Lichfield Live: [ Figures reveal more than half of rental properties in Lichfield and Burntwood would fail to meet proposed new energy efficiency standard](https://lichfieldlive.co.uk/2023/04/06/figures-reveal-more-than-half-of-rental-properties-in-lichfield-and-burntwood-would-fail-to-meet-proposed-new-energy-efficiency-standard/)\n* The Lochside Press: [74% of private rentals in Argyll and Bute would fail new energy standard](https://thelochsidepress.com/2023/04/06/74-of-private-rentals-in-argyll-and-bute-would-fail-new-energy-standard/)\n* London Live: [London Live News 13 April (from 18'35)](https://www.londonlive.co.uk/news/watch-again-london-live-news-13-april/)\n* London World: [Cost of living: Most London homes fail to meet energy efficiency standard](https://www.londonworld.com/news/london-homes-miss-energy-efficiency-standard-4098151)\n* This is Money: [Is YOUR town one of these 10 where homes leak the most heat? Areas with the most - and least - energy efficient properties are revealed](https://www.thisismoney.co.uk/money/bills/article-11937617/The-areas-energy-efficient-homes-cost-heat.html)\n* The Scotsman: [Over half of rented properties in Scotland set to flout new energy efficiency rules](https://www.scotsman.com/news/environment/over-half-of-rented-properties-in-scotland-set-to-flout-new-energy-efficiency-rules-4095458)\n* We Love Stornoway: ['Giant green-rules fail' for island renters](https://welovestornoway.com/index.php/home/welovesyhomepage-2/28293-isles-private-rentals-in-massive-energy-fail)\n\n\n## Related repos\n\n* In March 2020, the BBC Shared Data unit [reported that nearly two thirds of UK homes fail to meet long-term energy efficiency targets](https://github.com/BBC-Data-Unit/energy-efficiency-of-homes).\n* All [stories related to housing can be found here](https://github.com/search?q=topic%3Ahousing+org%3ABBC-Data-Unit+fork%3Atrue\u0026type=repositories)\n","project_url":"https://awesome.ecosyste.ms/api/v1/projects/github.com%2Fbbc-data-unit%2Fenergy-efficiency-private-rental","html_url":"https://awesome.ecosyste.ms/projects/github.com%2Fbbc-data-unit%2Fenergy-efficiency-private-rental","lists_url":"https://awesome.ecosyste.ms/api/v1/projects/github.com%2Fbbc-data-unit%2Fenergy-efficiency-private-rental/lists"}