Zac Goldsmith wants energy efficiency rating displayed on all commercial buildings

Prominent environmentalist and conservative MP Zac Goldsmith is attempting to use the government’s Energy Bill to force landlords to rate the energy efficiency of their buildings.

The MP for Richmond Park and North Kingston has put in an amendment to the bill that will make it mandatory for all commercial buildings to have display energy certificates (DECs).

The UK Green Building Council and British Property Federation have been campaigning for the introduction of DECs, which are already mandatory on public buildings.

They believe they are necessary to understand how efficient commercial buildings are, and to create competition between landlords over energy use.

Yet the government has not included DECs in the bill, and Building revealed in May that the business department blocked the proposals because it feared there was little evidence that DECs would be effective, that they would cost too much and would add to the regulatory burden on businesses.

The bill is currently at Commons committee stage, which will meet for the first time today.

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