WONDER WALLS W
AS winter draws in and the temperature drops, keeping your home warm is vital. Yet, gas, oil and electricity take, on average, 4.4 per cent of a typical Brit’s pay packet (this rockets to 9.7 per cent for those on the lowest 10 per cent incomes) So whether you’re a tenant or homeowner, keeping these energy costs as low as possible is important for the household budget and the environment as a whole.
For the last 10 years, every private rental property has needed to have an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) rating – from A, the most efficient, to G.
Now, new legislation will be coming into force next spring for English and Welsh private landlords, making it illegal to let a property that doesn’t meet a certain energy rating.
From April 1, 2018, any new tenant moving into a private rented property or an existing tenant renewing their tenancy must have a property with an energy performance rating of E or above. The new law will apply for all prevailing tenancies in the spring of 2020.
If not, trading standards could fine the landlord up to £4,000.
Some households may require substantial works to get their property from an F/G rating but, in my experience, most will only need minor work to make them legal. By planning and acting now, it will mitigate the need to find tradespeople in the spring when every other Huddersfield landlord will be panicking and paying top dollar for work to comply.
While it does require money and effort to upgrade your energy efficiency, properties with higher ratings will have greater appeal to tenants – giving you higher rents – and other buy-to-let landlords/investors, should you ever sell your investment.
So, how many properties are there with F and G ratings in the Kirklees Metropolitan Borough Council area? According to them, of the 26,941 privately rented properties, there are 707 rental properties in the F banding, and 210 rental properties in the G banding.
That means just over one in 29 rental properties in Huddersfield and the surrounding area will be illegal to rent out from April 2018.
So why not look at your EPC and see what improvements the assessor suggested? It could be a case of draughty windows or extra insulation needed in the walls and roof. ALLS - like presents - look their best when well-wrapped. And there’s now a huge choice of wallpapers out there, so they can shimmer, sparkle or stun with texture, pattern and colour.
Papering a single feature wall, or a whole room, is also a ‘fast’ way to embrace a trend. After all, we’re increasingly following home fashion just as closely we do clothes - and a winning combination of cutting-edge digital technology and brilliant designs makes it possible to literally transform a setting with just a roll of paper.
Here, three experts in the field reveal their wallpaper wisdom and trend predictions for the year ahead... for a chic industrial feel, or even wool for softer luxury. The craft/handmade movement is inspiring design, so look out for more free-flowing painterly styles, merging the look of artisan skills with digital-age technology.”
Top tip: To enhance a setting and ensure a beautiful wall covering is the focus of a room, pick out key colours from the design and repeat them in plain fabrics and painted woodwork. “The trend for people to be brave with pattern and embrace colour will continue into 2018,” promises Alex Whitecroft, head of design at I Want Wallpaper.
“The popularity of floral patterns endures and classic patterns are getting an update, with new printing techniques and a fresh focus on detail and larger-scale patterns. A pink/purple palette will be the top favourite.
“The trend to bring the ‘outdoors in’, with the adoption of botanical and tropical looks, will evolve even further. There are so many fabulous ways to incorporate this look, from subtle embossed palm leaves to bold and bright tropical prints.”
“Industrial papers mimicking the look of natural materials will continue to be popular, with earthy tones and dark woods taking over from the pale, blonde Scandinavian-style which is now waning.”
“Metallics and designs incorporating sparkle and shine are another hot trend, and are brilliant in light-starved rooms, as they help bounce light around and give an illusion of space.
“These wallpapers look stunning as a feature wall for a backdrop to a Christmas tree,” Alex adds. “Generally, copper’s been popular, but many predict matt silver metallics will triumph in the next 12 months.”
Top tip: A large print used on all the walls in a small room, or one with low ceilings, may be overbearing - so use it sparingly or consider using a smaller-scale, simpler graphic design, or a simple textured paper.
Now all you need to do is choose the style you like most of ‘wall’, and get papering...