Energy Performance Certificates explained

Much like the multi-coloured sticker on new appliances, Energy Performance Certificates (EPCs) tell you how energy efficient a building is.

EPCs rate a home from A (very efficient) to G (inefficient). They’ll tell you how costly it will be to heat and light your property, and what its carbon dioxide emissions are likely to be.

An EPC also includes information on what the energy efficiency rating could be if you made the recommended improvements. It also highlights cost effective ways to improve your EPC rating.

Even if you rent your home, you could still implement some improvements noted on the EPC, such as switching to more energy efficient light bulbs.

EPCs are valid for 10 years from the date of issue.

Why get an EPC?

If you’re looking to sell or rent out your home, you need an EPC before it goes on the market. You must get an approved domestic energy assessor to produce the EPC.

If you’re looking for a property to buy or rent a property, the EPC lets you compare the energy efficiency of different properties easily. Properties in Scotland must display its EPC rating, for example, near the boiler or meter cupboard.

The EPC also gives recommendations to improve your rating. If you do make any energy efficiency recommendations outlined in your EPC, you may want to get a new EPC to reflect this.

What can you expect to see on your EPC?

It’s worth noting that not all EPCs look the same. In this guide, we are using a 2017 certificate as an example. Older certificates will have most of this information, although it may look a bit different and may be in a different order.

Please note that EPCs in England, Wales and Northern Ireland have moved to a new format. This format looks different to the example we have used here from Scotland. The sections and information covered are identical.

Current and potential energy costs

An image showing the estimated energy costs of dwelling for 3 years amounts to £5670. The image shows that over three years you could save £3,840 When it comes to estimated costs of the home displayed in the picture. The current costs for lighting over a three year period that this household would spend is £381. The potential costs for lighting over a three year period is £201. The current costs a household would spend on heating stands at £4,083. Potential cots are 1, 302 over three years. When it comes to hot water, this household would spend £1,206 over three years. As for potential costs over three years on hot water is £237. The total current costs for lighting, heating, and hot water amounts to £5,670. The total potential costs for lighting, heating, and hot water amounts to £1,830. In regards to potential future savings, you could save £3,840 over three years. The first page of your EPC starts with an estimate of the current and potential energy bills of the property. This is useful for knowing how much a new property will cost to run in energy bills. It’s also helpful for knowing how much lower the running costs could be if the energy efficiency was improved. These costs are just for your heating, hot water and lighting. The EPC doesn’t include any additional energy costs from your home appliances (eg the cost of running home appliances like your fridge). In reality, your energy bills will be a bit higher. However, the costs shown can help you compare properties and see which building could be cheaper to run. In this example, the potential savings add up to nearly £4,000 over three years in this three-bedroom semi-detached house. Energy efficiency rating This image shows the different energy efficiency rating of an average household which ranges from A-G, with A being the best. The image shows that the house with a 92 plus rating is household A, which is much more likely to have lower fuel bills. With an 81-91 rating is household B. Household C has an energy efficiency rating of 69-80. Household D represents the average energy efficiency for a dwelling in England and Wales with a rating of 55 - 68. Household E has an energy efficiency rating of 39 - 54. Household F has an energy efficiency rating of 21 - 38. Household G has an energy efficiency rating of 1 - 20.The next table you see on page one is a quick visual comparison of property performance similar to the energy labels you get on home appliances. Your property has a current energy efficiency rating. These range from A-G, with A being the best. Some EPCs also have a similar chart for a property’s environmental performance. It also shows the potential rating if you carry out all the suggested improvements. In this example, you can see that the home could jump from band F to B with the recommended energy efficiency upgrades. Top actions This image shows the results of the actions you can take to save money and make your home more energy efficient If you were to follow the recommended energy efficiency upgrades when it comes to internal or external wall insulation, the indicative cost would be £4,000 - £14,000. The average saving you could make over three years is £1,530 and is available with green deal.~ If you were to follow the recommended energy efficiency upgrades when it comes floor insulation (suspended floor) the indicative cost would be £800 - £1,200 over three years. The average saving you could make over three years is £219 over three years and is available with the green deal. If you were to follow the recommended energy efficiency upgrades when it comes increasing hot water cylinder insulation the indicative cost would be £15 - £30 over three years. The average saving you could make over three years is £282 over three years and is available with the green deal.

Performance

In this image you can see the energy rating from one to five stars, with five being the best for a property. When it comes to the walls in the property which had no insulation the energy efficiency given was just one star. When it comes to the roof of the property which was pitched, with a 100 mm loft insulation, the energy efficiency rating was three stars. When it comes to the floor in the property, which was suspended and again no insulation assumed there was no energy efficiency rating. When it comes to the windows in the property which were single sized, the energy efficiency rating was one star When it comes to the main heating in the property such as boilers, radiator, and main gas the energy efficiency rating was four stars. When it comes to the main heating controls such as programmer, no room thermostat, it was given just one star. When it comes to secondary heating, the property gained no stars for its energy efficiency When it comes to hot water from the main system, the energy efficiency rating was 2 stars When it comes to lighting, the property had low lighting in 7% of fixed outlets, the energy efficiency rating was one star This page gives you a detailed breakdown of each element of your property. Each element includes a description and an energy rating from one to five stars (with five being the best). This is to help you understand the effectiveness of its construction, heating and hot water system, and lighting. This can be especially useful for comparing with other properties when you’re looking to buy or rent. Our example has an efficient heating system and some roof insulation, but there’s plenty of room for improvement. Low carbon energy This image shows low or zero carbon energy sources provided for a property, which includes Solar water heating and Solar photovoltantics which may help reduce energy bills as well as cutting carbon. Heat demand The image shows the energy that could potentially be saved in a property by insulating the loft and walls based on energy use. In regard to the space heating in the property (kWh per year) with an existing dwelling of 17,742, the impact of a loft insulation is 658. However, the impact of cavity wall insulation is not applicable. The impact of solid wall insulation is 7,506. When it comes to water heating (kWh per year) the existing dwelling is 5,296. This section looks at how much heat you’re expected to use in the property and how you can reduce that by improving the insulation.

Recommendations

This image shows the performance ratings after improvements listed below, however they only assume the improvements have been installed in the order they appear in the table. For more information you can refer to www.gov.uk/energy-grants-calculator. In the table it shows that properties that took recommended measures in terms of internal of external wall insulation, the indicative cost is £4,000 - £14,000. The typical savings per year amount to £510. The rating after improvement is E51 and is supported through Green Deal finance. Floor insulation (suspended floor) has an indicative cost of £800 - £1,200, with typical savings per year amounting to £73. The rating after improvement is E53. If you wanted to take up measures be aware that you may need to contribute to some of the payment up-front. With recommended measures for increases in hot water cylinder insulation, the indicative costs is between £15 - £30. The typical savings per year amount to £94. The rating after improvement is D56. The recommended measures are supported through the Green Deal finance. When it comes to low energy lighting for all fixed outlets, the indicative cost is £70 and the typical savings per year is £49. Rating after improvement is listed as D56. There is no green deal finance with low energy lightning. When it comes to Heating controls (Room thermostat and TRVs) the indicative costs are £350 - £450. The typical saving is £108, and the rating after improvement is listed as D62. The recommended measures are supported through the Green Deal finance. When it comes to Replace boiler with new condensing boiler the indicative costs are £2,200 - £3, 000. The typical saving is £314, and the rating after improvement is listed as C72. If you wanted to take up measures be aware that you may need to contribute to some of the payment up-front. When it comes to Solar water heating the indicative costs are £4,000 - £6, 000. The typical saving is £46, and the rating after improvement is listed as C74. If you wanted to take up measures be aware that you may need to contribute to some of the payment up-front. When it comes to Replace single glazed windows with low-E double glazed windows the indicative costs are £3,300 - £6, 500. The typical saving is £86, and the rating after improvement is listed as C77. If you wanted to take up measures be aware that you may need to contribute to some of the payment up-front. When it comes to Solar photovoltaic panels, 2.5 kWp the indicative costs are £5,000 - £8, 000. The typical saving is £284, and the rating after improvement is listed as B35. If you wanted to take up measures be aware that you may need to contribute to some of the payment up-front.

Now we arrive at perhaps the most important section of the EPC: the recommendations. Numbers on a page mean nothing unless you take action. Here you get a detailed breakdown of the recommended measures, costs, savings and how much each measure could improve the property’s energy efficiency rating. The recommended measures are shown in order of importance. The energy efficiency improvements figures are based on making the improvements in that order. Of course, you might not be able to complete them all, or in the order listed, but it’s a good guide. The number of recommended measures will vary, depending on which ones are applicable to your property. In this example, the first priority is wall insulation and the checklist works up to the installation of solar panels. This image shows the performance ratings after improvements listed below. However they only assume the improvements have been installed in the order they appear in the table. For more information you can refer to the energy grants calculator.

Alternative measures

This image shows measures you can take to improve the energy efficiency of your property. These include Biomass boiler (Exempted Appliance if in Smoke Control Area). Air or ground source heat pump and Micro CHP.

The next section lists other measures that can improve the energy efficiency of the property. Although there is less information about potential costs and savings, these alternatives can be something to consider depending on your budget.

About this data

The image shows EPC’s final page, which shows basic information about the EPC, as well as the date of assessment and the assessor of the accrediting body. A copy of this certificate has been lodged on a national register as a requirement under the Energy Performance of Buildings Regulations 2012. You can view it at www.epcregister.com. For heating system data, visit www.opendatacommunities.org. This certificate and other data about the building may be shared with other bodies (including government departments) for research, statistical and enforcement purposes. For further information visit: www.epcregister.com. Or to opt out visit www.epcregister.com/optout. For more information in the guidance document Energy Performance Certificates for marketing, sale and let of dwellings, visit www.gov.uk/governement/collections/energy-performance-certificates. The EPC’s final page begins with basic information about the EPC, including the date of assessment and the assessor and their accrediting body. Environmental impact This image shows the carbon emissions from the property and compares them to the average and how much you could potentially save by making changes. The image shows that the average household causes about 6 tonnes of carbon dioxide every year. Based on the assessment, the property produces approximately 8.8 tonnes of carbon dioxide every year. However, it can be reduced by 7.3 tonnes per year by adopting the recommendations in our report. You could also reduce emissions even more by switching to renewable energy sources. In this image there is an environmental rating which is a measure of a home’s impact on the environment In terms of carbon dioxide (C0s) emissions. The current rating for the home is 29, which means it has a high C02 emissions, however the potential rating for this property could be 83, which would significantly lower C02 emissions.

How do I get an EPC certificate?

To get an EPC, you need to speak to a qualified home assessor. This depends on where you live.

England, Wales and Northern Ireland

In England, Wales and Northern Ireland, only accredited domestic energy assessors can produce valid EPCs. You’ll need one of these assessors to produce an EPC certificate for you.

If you’re selling or renting your home through an estate agent, they may be able to arrange for the EPC to be completed for you.

Scotland

In Scotland, only organisations approved by the Scottish Government can produce valid EPCs. You’ll need one of these organisations to produce an EPC certificate for you.

If you’re selling your home through a selling agent, you should ask them to arrange for a Home Report to be made. This report includes an energy report and EPC.

Energy reports can only be produced by chartered surveyors registered with RICS.

How much does an EPC cost?

Getting an EPC certificate can cost between £60-£120. Remember that if you’re selling or renting out your home, you need an EPC otherwise you may be issued with a fixed penalty charge of £200.

How much an EPC costs can depend on:

Assessors may have different fees too, so it’s worth getting a number of quotes from an accredited assessor or organisation to find the best deal.

Further information