The government has been urged to make better use of existing schemes that encourage landlords to be more environmentally aware.

The Enhanced Capital Allowances (ECA) scheme was designed to reimburse landlords who made the positive step of greening their existing buildings.

But the British Property Federation has pointed out that the scheme exists only within the private sector of plant and machinery and has called on the government to broaden the remit for the ECA.

Andrew Teacher, spokesperson for BPF, said ECAs did not currently cover investment in the actual fabric of a building, despite the fact that was where the most significant savings could be found.

“We want the remit of ECAs to be broadened so the wider benefits can be realised. We need to get real about what the issues are and how they must be tackled, and a scheme that targets those who drive the market with fiscal incentives will provide an easy win for ministers.

“The scope of ECAs must be expanded. In many cases, improvements to the building's fabric – such as insulation or glazing - will hold the key to improving energy efficiency, particularly in minimising waste heat.

Without incentives, many of the kinds of improvements necessary would take too long to offset against the savings they would create, which would be felt mainly by tenants.”

At a recent UK Green Building Council 'Dragon's Den' event, the BPF joined forces with organisations such as Friends Of The Earth and the Empty Homes Agency to plead their case for one type of incentive scheme to help green the country's building stock.