Buy-to-let landlords have determined that LED lighting, double glazing, and smart meters are the principal upgrades to enhance the energy efficiency of their properties. This finding comes from a survey conducted by Market Financial Solutions (MFS), who interviewed 459 UK landlords on their perspective concerning the sustainability of their properties. Astonishingly, 56% of respondents claimed that the sustainability of their properties was a matter of significant importance to them, irrespective of upcoming regulatory alterations surrounding Energy Performance Certificates (EPCs).

According to the study, 42% of landlords have already made the transition to LED lighting, with a staggering 62% acknowledging that it had worked as a substantial improvement. Among the remaining 58% of respondents, a sizable proportion (73%) expressed their intention to implement LED lighting within the next 12 months.

Other popular changes that landlords had already implemented included double or triple glazing (39%), the utilization of smart meters (38%), wall or loft insulation (34%), and the installation of energy-efficient kitchen appliances (29%). Conversely, only 18% had opted for the replacement of boilers with carbon-neutral heat pumps, and a discouraging 44% of those who did switch, declared that it had made no significant enhancement to energy efficiency.

Regarding future modifications that landlords are planning to make in the next year, installing insulation (70%), double or triple glazing (68%), and incorporating a smart meter (67%) were among the most prevalent. In contrast, the least popular changes that landlords plan to make were heat pumps (37%), geothermal heating (34%), and solar panels (38%).

CEO of MFS, Paresh Raja, said: “Sustainability and energy efficiency have become increasingly important in recent years as the climate and energy crises worsen. As such, it’s encouraging that our research shows so many landlords have already boosted their properties’ energy efficiency credentials, while plenty more have plans to improve the sustainability of their homes in the future.

“Clearly, upgrades such as replacing old lightbulbs with LEDs can be relatively affordable. However, in the current economic climate, making more substantial improvements – such as investing in double glazing or installing loft insulation – may be financially out of reach for some landlords. So, by working with brokers, lenders must be on hand to provide flexible financial products that will help landlords make the changes their properties need.”