Project Director: Aimee Ambrose
Project Duration: 2015-2016

Previous research in the UK has established that private landlords think that energy efficiency is not important to their tenants. This project will use a combination of short postal surveys and in-depth qualitative interviews with tenants of low value private rented properties in two case study locations (Hackney and Rotherham) to test this assumption. The project will also establish the likelihood that tenants will use the provisions of forthcoming legislation under the Energy Act to request energy efficiency improvements from their landlords and whether they would be willing to pay more in rent for a more energy efficient property (landlords assume they would not). By better understanding tenants' perspectives on energy efficiency, clarifying their needs, expectations and competing priorities it is hoped that this project will contribute to the development of better informed approaches to driving up standards of energy performance at the lower end of the Private Rented Sector.

The project team also included James Pinder (Sheffield Hallam University).