The report, Meeting the Commercial Property Retrofit Challenge, explores how the built environment is adapting to the challenges of retrofitting commercial properties. According to Knight Frank, approximately 70% of UK commercial floor space is currently rated EPC C or below. This puts it at risk of becoming unlettable if proposals go ahead to raise the minimum energy efficiency standard (MEES) for commercial property to an EPC B in 2030.
Key insights from the report include:
Cost-effective solutions: Not all energy efficiency improvements are capital-intensive or require vacant buildings. On average, four interventions are needed to raise an office’s EPC rating.
Impact of LED lighting: Among properties that upgraded from EPC E to EPC B, 65% included LED lighting with smart controls, while only 36% replaced gas-fired boilers with air-source heat pumps.
Accelerating obsolescence: The report emphasizes that regulatory, physical, financial, and functional sustainability risks are accelerating property obsolescence, impacting valuations and market movement.
Article by smart wireless lighting specialist Prime Controls