How LED Lighting Can Help Buy-To-Let Landlords Improve Their Energy Efficiency

Energy efficiency has been a hot topic in all sorts of areas of the economy for years.

Not only is this due to the fact that energy costs have risen over the course of the last decade or so, but because of the pressures of climate change.

You can see this in the way that electrical appliances are rated, for example, as well as the design of vehicles which are ever more energy efficient.

Landlords can play their part in energy efficiency by reducing the electrical usage of the homes they rent out.

Indeed, new regulations due in 2018 will mean that landlords have to have taken energy efficient measures in their properties to be able to rent them out.

Therefore, the time to take action is now.

Thankfully, when it comes to lighting buy-to-let homes, the solution to finding greater energy efficiency is already here in the form of LED lights.

Regulations and EPC Ratings

Tenants can already apply for consent to undertake energy efficiency improvements in their rented property under regulations that came into force on 1st April 2016. Landlords should be aware that the new regulations coming into play in 2018 are separate from these ones.

Rather than allowing tenants the right to make changes, the new rules means the onus is very much being placed on the landlord.

From the 1st April 2018, landlords will be obliged to produce an Energy Performance Certificate, or EPC, for each home they rent which is rated at E or better. The system will be rolled out so that new tenancies and those which are renewed on fixed terms have to comply initially. However, long-term tenants will also be expected to inhabit homes with the same rating, even if their tenancies have not changed in any way, after April 2020.

All private landlords need to know that these measures are not advisory in any way.

It will simply become unlawful to rent a property to tenants which does not meet the minimum E rating EPC requirement. Although, exemption notices can be applied for in certain cases, for most landlords this means that failure to comply could lead to a civil penalty of up to £4,000.

Penalties of up to £5,000 will be applicable in cases where non-compliance continues and further fines may be applied if a new tenancy commences and the necessary energy efficiency works are not carried out during the void period.

Energy Efficient Lighting Explained

As mentioned, one of the simplest means of achieving greater energy efficiency in a buy-to-let home is to alter the lighting.

Huge levels of energy are used in the UK each year lighting dwellings because conventional lighting technology is not very efficient.

Simply put, traditional bulbs, such as halogen ones, create more heat energy when they are turned on than light. Bear in mind that the selling of halogen bulbs has already been banned across Europe and those which are still available are being phased out already.

Therefore, switching lighting fixtures to energy efficient alternatives makes a lot of sense from a purely practical point of view in any case, regardless of regulatory change.

Landlords do need to provide adequate light fittings for tenants, so they may as well offer ones which will be future proofed rather than rely on old technologies.

Of course, if a tenant plugs in a bedside or a standard lamp, then this is their own business.

The energy efficiency of a home's lighting really relates to permanent light fixtures only. Practically, this means wall lights and ceiling downlights.

Both wall and ceiling light fixtures can be fitted with energy efficient technologies. The two major ones to consider are compact fluorescent bulbs and light emitting diodes.

Both provide light with much less electrical usage than halogen bulbs. When compact fluorescent lighting (CFL) comes to the end of its life, it must be disposed of properly due to the gasses which are held within the bulb.

Light emitting diodes (LEDs) are more energy efficient than most CFL products and so help landlords to achieve their desired EPC more effectively for every fitting that is converted to use them.

The Benefits of LED Lighting

[caption id="attachment_73" align="aligncenter" width="768"] Installing LED lamps in your rental property could save you £25 per light. Image credit: www.downlights.co.uk[/caption]

As mentioned, the chief reason to convert a buy-to-let home's light fittings to LED technology is the fact that it uses much less energy than other systems. However, that is not the only reason by any means. What other advantages can LED lighting offer?

• LED lighting creates less carbon emissions than other lighting technologies over its lifetime because it requires lower levels of electrical energy to run at full power.
• LED lighting contains no poisonous mercury, unlike CFL.
• It is RoHS compliant.
• LEDs offer a typical lifespan of 50,000 hours with performance that continues to be high. Other lighting technology offers much lower performance toward the end of its life with shorter lifespans overall.
• LEDs don't deteriorate when they are continually turned on and off, unlike CFL.
• An LED light fitting produces instant light and does not need 'warm up' time.
• LEDs are highly durable and can stand accidental knocks compared to CFL and halogen bulbs which are delicate and predominantly made from glass.
• Low levels of heat means that LEDs are safe to touch and more efficient at creating light.
• A 5 Watt LED will create about 450 lumens of light. This compares with a similar light level created by a 40 Watt halogen bulb or a 12 Watt CFL.

For landlords who want to meet their responsibilities under the new regulations, fitting LED lighting fixtures makes a lot of sense.

Moreover, if landlords include utility bills as a part of the rental in an all-inclusive deal, then changing all the fixtures and light fittings to LEDs is surely an imperative.

Otherwise, the cost of the energy used is simply coming off their bottom line. Also, bear in mind that light fixtures can be included as part of an inventory for landlords.

Cost Versus Quality

Another consideration that landlords should make when selecting LED lamps or downlights is their cost. On the face of it LED light fittings can appear to be very cheap. However, some of the lowest cost LED products available on the market present something of a false economy.

Not all LED spotlights are the same, after all. Most LED fittings and fixtures have more than one LED in them, for example. They are commonly arranged in an array. Generally speaking, the more LEDs in an array, the greater the level of light that will be generated, but the ones with more will be that bit more expensive.

LEDs of higher quality will last a good deal longer than lower cost versions. This is often down to the manufacturing processes which go on rather than anything to do with the inherent design of one product over another.

However, good design is usually to be found in the fitting's diffuser and housing. Cheaper light fittings feel a bit lightweight and flimsy when they are installed and they often don't have the best wiring either.

Good brands of LED fittings put their name on the product which means that you can be confident that the fitting will be reliable and not need changing for many years to come.

Also, you will often find that branded products create a pleasant colour temperature of light, compared with a stark bluish-white found in many cheaper alternatives.

Originally Published Here: How LED Lighting Can Help Buy-To-Let Landlords Improve Their Energy Efficiency