Whats an EPC or Energy Performance Certificate?

Feel free to contact us to find out more – info@propertyvisual.com.

Below is a breakdown of what to expect from an EPC (Energy Performance Certificate), where to get one and how to make improvements to your property in order to achieve the best ratings.

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If you’re renting or selling you will need an EPC (Energy Performance Certificate). It tells you and potential buyers and tenants how energy efficient your property is.

An energy performance certificate measures the energy efficiency of a property using a scale from A to G.

It includes recommendations in making your home more energy efficient and provides estimates for implementing any changes and potential savings you could make.

After the surveyor has been to visit the property it will be given a rating from A – G with A been the most energy efficient.

Newer homes tend to be more efficient whilst older properties average around D or E.

Sellers:

If you intend to sell then it’s a legal requirement to provide an EPC. This can be arranged either through you agent or directly with the energy surveyor.

Buyers:

You should receive a copy of the EPC from the seller. This will help you make decision on potential home improvements. It could also be useful for negotiation on price.

Landlords:

It is a legal requirement for the property to have an EPC rating of E or above. This applies to renewing any existing contract  or taking on a new tenant. On the advent of 2020 this will apply to all properties with existing tenancies.

Properties that don’t need an EPC:

These include:

Places of worship

Temporary buildings that will be used for less than 2 years

Stand-alone buildings with total useful floor space of less than 50 square metres

Industrial sites, workshops and non-residential agricultural buildings that don’t use a lot of energy

Some buildings that are due to be demolished

Holiday accommodation that’s rented out for less than 4 months a year or is let under a licence to occupy

Listed buildings – you should get advice from your local authority conservation officer if the work would alter the building’s character

Residential buildings intended to be used less than 4 months a year

EPC’s are now electronic documents and can be obtained at – find-energy-certificate.digital.communities.gov.uk/

EPC’s will provide you with ways to make improvements along with an estimate in price. These will help you, the buyer and the tenants make saving on the bills and lessen the environmental impact of the property.

Most common recommendations are:

Insulation: Installed into the externals walls, floors and roof will provide better insulation lowering your energy bills.

Double Glazing: By having an additional layer of glazing will prevent heat loss. This also provides savings on the bills.

Boiler: Unless its particularly up-to-date it may well come with the recommendation to upgrade.

Solar Panels: This is an excellent way to produce cheaper and cleaner energy.

Low Energy Lighting: An easy way to lower energy bills.

The certificate also provides information on potential costs relating to a property and how you could make savings over a three-year period.

This is the government’s database relating to all the EPC’s in the UK. What you can find on the register:

You can look up an EPC by postcode and download the certificate for your files.

Finding an assessor. If your property doesn’t already have an EPC you will need to provide one before you rent or sell.

You can save money by going directly to the assessor. Alternatively the agent will have a provider who they will book on your behalf but this will be more expensive.

To go privately go to the EPC register and enter your postcode. This will give you a drop down list of assessors in your vicinity.

EPC’s are valid for 10 Years. To see if a property has a valid EPC head to the register to check.

Expect to pay anything from £50 to £120.

Often you will find very cheap rates online however, when you start filling in the forms they often raise considerably in price and often take longer.

Some companies can take a while to turn around an EPC, anything up to 2 weeks. These tend to be the companies offering the lowest prices.

If you go directly to the assessor from the governments website they can advise you on time scales but usually they can be done in 48 hours.

Information to help speed up the process would be any certifications such as:

Boiler information should it not be obtainable from the boiler itself.

Planning permissions from the local authority with dates.

If the insulation shouldn’t be accessible on the survey then any documentation such as invoices, building regulations proving its installation.

Solar panels and the relevant paperwork.

Please feel free to contact Property Visual if you have any questions or would like to arrange for an EPC.