The energy performance of UK homes continues to improve gradually, but new analysis from Rightmove suggests the lettings market is no longer pulling ahead of the sales market in the drive towards greener housing.
The portal’s 2025 Greener Homes Report reveals that 58% of rental properties now achieve an EPC rating of C or above, compared with 46% of homes listed for sale.
Both have risen by 3% in the past year, yet there has been no uptick in momentum in the rental sector despite sustained policy attention.
RENTAL MARKET NO LONGER LEADING THE SHIFT
From 2015 to 2020, the proportion of rental properties achieving EPC C or above rose from 41% to 52%. From 2020 to 2025, that increase slowed to just six percentage points, reaching 58%.
The sales market shows a similar pattern, improving from 29% to 40% in the first period, then from 40% to 46% over the past five years.
The findings indicate that the 2020 introduction of a minimum EPC E standard for lettings, alongside previous proposals for a future EPC C requirement, have not delivered the anticipated acceleration in upgrades. Cost, complexity and uncertainty around long-term regulation remain significant barriers.
Regionally, London continues to lead the rental market, with 66% of listed homes reaching EPC C or above, while Wales is at the other end of the scale at 48%.
Over a decade, the North West has seen the strongest uplift at 23%, while the South West has seen the slowest at 11%.
GROWING BILL GAP SHARPENS THE SALES MESSAGE
For agents, the financial contrast between efficient and inefficient homes is becoming a clearer point of difference. Properties for sale with EPC A ratings have average annual energy bills of £571. For EPC G homes, that figure rises to £6,368.
Rightmove reports a sharp rise in the visibility of green features within listings. Mentions of heat pumps are up 46% year on year, while solar panel references have increased by 37%.
Many homeowners see lifestyle benefits as well as cost savings, with 58% of those making upgrades saying they do so to improve quality of life and 30% believing they add value.
CONSUMER AWARENESS STILL LIMITED
Although 84% of people say EPC ratings matter, half of homeowners and nearly two thirds of renters do not know the rating of their current property.
The report highlights this knowledge gap as a key constraint, limiting both demand for improvements and the speed at which homeowners undertake them.
Despite available grants, only 11% of respondents plan to act on these incentives in the next year, and 63% say they have no plans to make green upgrades at all. Rightmove notes that financial support alone is not driving widespread adoption.
Colleen Babcock, property expert at Rightmove, said: “Policy ambition hasn’t translated into real-world acceleration. We might have expected green improvements to speed up in the rental sector following policy pushes, but the data shows progress over the past five years has been slower than the previous five.
“For landlords, the challenge is balancing compliance with cost and potential value appreciation, and for renters, it’s about finding homes that deliver real savings.
“Energy efficiency isn’t just good for the planet, it’s good for the pocket too, and making it easier to achieve will be key to unlocking faster change.”
Rightmove’s fourth annual Greener Homes Report draws on analysis of over 17 million EPC certificates, almost 30 million property listings and insight from more than 1,200 UK consumers.
