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EPC Essential Information

An Energy Performance Certificate, or EPC, shows how energy efficient a property is, as well as how energy efficient it could be. The certificate contains a lot of information on how a property can be improved and how you can go about doing this. Here are some things you can learn from your EPC.


Contents

  1. What does an EPC do?
  2. What an EPC does not do?
  3. Energy Efficiency Rating
  4. Estimated Energy Costs
  5. Summary of Energy Efficient Features
  6. Recommendations
  7. Environmental Impact of the Property
  8. Heat Demand
  9. What if I can’t find my EPC?


1. What does an EPC does?

EPCs measure the energy performance of buildings based on the running costs of the property and produce a rating for the property on a scale from A (most efficient) to G (least efficient). An assessment of the property is conducted to obtain data on the fixed features of the building and model the energy performance of the building as a whole. Based on this information the EPC also provides a breakdown of the energy performance of the building and a list of measures you can implement to improve its performance, reduce your energy bills, and increase your EPC rating.


2. What an EPC does not do?

  • An EPC is a snapshot in time. If you have made improvements since your EPC was produce, then these will not appear on your EPC. You will need a new EPC to reflect these improvements.
  • An EPC does not measure your personal energy use; it is an assessment of the building. Reducing your personal energy consumption is great, but it will not impact your EPC rating. The EPC informs new owners and occupiers as to what they can expect from the building, and your personal energy use and behaviour will not impact their energy use and costs when occupying the property. Therefore, the EPC only assesses energy factors that will be passed on when the property is sold or rented to a new tenant.
  • The EPC measures energy performance based on the running costs of the property, not its carbon emissions. You may assume simply installing more environmentally friendly components will increase your EPC rating. However, components that use electricity rather than gas can be significantly more expensive to run if your property does not have suitable measures installed, such as insulation, because electricity is more expensive than gas. 


3. Energy Efficiency Rating

The EPC scale of A-G is determined by the final score of the assessment. Homes with the highest energy efficiency receive an A rating; homes with the lowest energy efficiency a G rating. The average rating for a property in England and Wales is D. The higher the rating, the lower your energy bills are likely to be.


The EPC also shows a potential Energy Efficiency Rating that indicates how much better the energy performance of your property could be following the implementation of all the recommendations listed in the EPC.


The Energy Efficiency Rating is particularly important for landlords. If the property is rated F or G, it cannot be let, unless an exemption has been registered.


4. Estimated Energy Costs

Every EPC includes an estimate of the typical total yearly energy. It also provides an estimate of how much lower these bills would be if you carried out the recommended improvements. The figures don’t include electricity used by appliances such as TVs, cookers, computer, and they don’t include any electricity you generate if you have solar PV panels on the roof.


5. Summary of Energy Efficient Features

There’s a summary of the property’s key features, such as walls, roofs, floors, windows, heating, hot water and lighting. This section grades each feature from ‘very good’ to ‘very poor’, so you can easily see where there might be room for improvement.


6. Recommendations

The EPC provides a list of recommendations to improve the energy performance of the property and reduce your energy bills. For each recommendation there is an average cost of installation, typical savings per year, and an indicator of how each recommendation will improve the Energy Efficiency Rating. The order of these recommendations should also be followed to maximise their effectiveness.


7. Environmental Impact of the Property

The EPC provides an estimate of the CO2 emissions of the property to determine its environmental impact, as well as an estimate of the property’s potential emissions following the implementation of all the recommendations.


The EPC rating does not reflect the carbon emissions of the property. However, energy efficient measures, such as insulation, are geared towards reducing energy use and therefore reduce both the energy cost and carbon emissions of the property.


8. Heat Demand

The heat demand of the property (in kilowatt hours) is shown for both space heating and water heating. And there’s a table showing how this demand would be affected by fitting loft or wall insulation.


9. Where to find my EPC?

Every EPC is lodged on a central register, and you can look at the public version using the link: https://www.epcregister.com/



If your home hasn’t been sold or rented out in the last 10 years, the chances are it doesn’t have an EPC, so you won’t find it on the register. You don’t need to get one until you sell or rent out the property, but if you want to get one sooner so you can make use of the information it provides, you’ll need a qualified assessor to visit your home and produce a certificate. You can find registered assessors by following the same link on the above.