Elmhurst Energy supports National Retrofit Hub MEES Report to drive healthier homes and economic growth

Elmhurst Energy strongly supports the National Retrofit Hub’s report on MEES for the private rented sector, fully titled: Improving Health and Housing Outcomes in the Private Rental Sector: Minimum Energy Efficiency Standards and a Pathway to Affordable, Healthy and Robust Homes. The report calls for urgent action across the sector unlocking not only healthier homes and workplaces, but also major economic growth for the UK.

What does this report cover?

The National Retrofit Hub’s report highlights how MEES can be a lever for health equity, with warmer, safer homes leading to fewer respiratory illnesses, mental health issues, and time off work. These impacts are especially pronounced in the private rental sector, where poor housing standards disproportionately affect low-income tenants.

The report also sets out the key policy, funding, and delivery actions needed to make MEES work for tenants, landlords, and local communities. Its recommendations provide clear guidance for decision-makers as MEES moves from consultation to implementation ensuring the policy delivers fair, resilient, and low-carbon homes nationwide.

Elmhurst’s Thoughts

Elmhurst Energy welcomes the National Retrofit Hub’s landmark report which sets out a clear and practical roadmap for strengthening Minimum Energy Efficiency Standards (MEES) in the domestic private rental sector. As a proud sponsor of the Hub and active contributor to its working groups, Elmhurst fully endorses the report’s findings and urges policymakers to extend MEES reforms to both domestic and non-domestic buildings.

The benefits of MEES go far beyond energy savings and reducing carbon emissions; they represent a strategic opportunity to drive UK wide economic growth. The retrofitting homes and improving energy standards can:

• Create thousands of skilled jobs in energy assessment, insulation, heating systems, and retrofit coordination
• Boost productivity by reducing illness linked to cold, damp, and poorly ventilated buildings
• Cut NHS costs through improved public health outcomes, especially in low-income and vulnerable households
• Stimulate local economies by supporting SMEs and supply chains in the retrofit sector
• Reduce energy bills by freeing up household income for other spending and reducing financial stresses on home/building owners and occupants
• Reduce landlord disruption, in terms of minimising rental payment issues (affordability) and lengthy void periods (tenants preferences changing towards more efficient/less costly housing)

Strengthening MEES across all sectors

Elmhurst believes that non-domestic buildings must not be left behind. Offices, retail units, and commercial spaces are central to the UK’s economic engine. Applying MEES consistently across all rental properties will:

• Ensure fairness and consistency for landlords and tenants
• Improve health, indoor air quality and thermal comfort for workers
• Support business resilience through lower operating costs
• Align with net zero goals and ESG commitments

As the UK’s leading energy assessment certification body, Elmhurst Energy sees MEES as a cornerstone of a thriving retrofit economy. We call on government to act swiftly in implementing MEES backed by correct and proportionate enforcement, along with clear guidance, funding mechanisms, and utilising our skilled professional members.

Elmhurst remains committed to supporting the National Retrofit Hub and will continue to provide technical expertise and industry insight to help shape effective retrofit policy.