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ARTICLE · 20 JUNE 2019

Minimum Energy Efficiency Standards (MEES) – One Year On

Shepherd and Wedderburn
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The principal provisions of the Minimum Energy Efficiency Standards (MEES) came into force on 1 April 2018. One year on, we look back to consider the effect MEES

United KingdomEnergy and Natural Resources
Stephen Hubner
Stephen Hubner
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The principal provisions of the Minimum Energy Efficiency Standards (MEES) came into force on 1 April 2018. One year on, we look back to consider the effect MEES has had on the non-domestic buildings market in England and Wales, and gaze into our crystal ball to ponder what MEES may portend for the future.

Why?

The origins of MEES can be traced back to the Climate Change Act 2008, enacted by the UK government with the aim of achieving an 80% reduction in carbon emissions (from 1990 levels) by 2050.

Buildings are a key source of energy use and carbon emissions, being responsible for an estimated 34% of all UK greenhouse house gas emissions in 2014 (with the commercial sector accounting for 27% of that figure).

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