The difficulties faced by older private renters living in cold, energy inefficient homes have been revealed in a new report.

Independent Age’s study – Turning the dial: Energy efficient homes for older private renters in England – polled and interviewed tenants aged 65 and over alongside landlords to understand the effects of energy inefficient homes and what can be done to tackle the problem.

It also highlights the barriers that need to be overcome to make private rented sector homes more energy efficient.

The charity says that the proportion of people aged 65 and over living in privately rented homes is predicted to increase significantly. Modelling the charity commissioned shows that by 2040, if current trends continue, more than one in every four older people could be privately renting.

With poverty in later life closely linked to whether a person is privately renting, improving the situation for older private renters is an important goal to bring down levels of financial hardship in later life, the charity says.

Living in a cold home is a serious risk for older people living on a low income. Cold, damp and mould can cause and exacerbate respiratory and circulatory diseases. Trying to heat an energy inefficient home can result in older private renters, 37% of whom are in poverty, cutting back on other essentials such as fresh, healthy food, or skipping meals altogether.

When asking tenants about energy performance certificates (EPCs), Independent Age found that:

• Despite cold homes and the expense of heating them being a major issue for tenants, there was little awareness of EPCs and what they mean
• There was a lack of trust in EPC ratings. One older renter said that the EPC said that the yearly cost of the energy use of their property was predicted to be £475 but that they ended up spending over £1,000
• Two thirds (66%) of older private renters supported raising the Minimum Energy Efficiency Standards (MEES) in the private rented sector from E to C. Analysis by Rightmove in November 2024 found that the average energy bill for a two-bed flat rated EPC C is half that of the average bill for a comparable home rated EPC E (£1,367 compared to £2,737).

Independent Age are calling on the government to support landlords to improve their properties. In England, several grant programmes exist for landlords to make their homes more energy efficient. The report found that:

• Only 38% of landlords in England were aware of existing grants and programmes
• 58% of landlords said that cost was a barrier to retrofitting their home
• There are four main barriers to landlords for retrofitting their homes: cost, being uncertain of the benefit, lack of awareness and fears about disruption.

The charity is calling on the government to:

• Raise the Minimum Energy Efficiency Standard in the private rented sector to EPC C as soon as possible
• Promote grants for improving energy efficiency in private rented homes to both tenants and landlords. The government should also simplify the eligibility criteria and ensure that tenants are protected from evictions or rent rises after grant-funded energy efficiency improvements
• Ensure older renters receive targeted support before, during and after work to retrofit their homes

Morgan Vine, Director of Policy and Influencing at Independent Age, said: “Living in a cold home is awful at any age, and for older people it is especially dangerous. Not only do low temperatures put your mental and physical health at risk, but we speak to older private renters who have been forced to skip meals or wash in cold water so they can afford to heat their energy inefficient home.

“It’s vital that the UK government acts to ensure homes in the private rented sector are brought up to higher standards of energy efficiency. Not only will this help reach the UK’s net-zero targets, importantly, it will mean older private renters on a low income do not have to live in a home that is dangerous for their health.”