What Are Energy Performance Certificates?
Energy Performance Certificates or EPC’s are a must for all residential and commercial buildings in the UK that are available to buy or rent. Property owners should always get an energy performance survey that could help them identify ways to save money on their energy bills.
What is an EPC?
The energy performance certificate informs you of the energy efficiency of a building. The ratings are awarded ranging from – A (very efficient) to G (inefficient). With an energy performance certificate you can easily tell how costly it will be to light, heat, and what will be the likely emissions from your property.
The certificate also specifies on what could be the energy-efficiency rating if improvements are made on the home. An EPC can also highlight the cost-effective ways to receive a better rating overall. If you’re renting the property, some improvements mentioned on the EPC may be worth implementing, for instance; installing more energy-efficient bulbs (always check with your Landlord before altering your rental home).
The accuracy of recommendations made on the EPC depends on the inspection standards applied by the inspector and that may vary. The recommendations given may appear general; however, they are tailored to the property in question.
The validity of the EPC is for 10 years from the date of issue. The certificate consists of the following details of the property:
- Address of the property.
- Type of the building.
- Date of inspection.
- Date of certificate and serial number.
- Total floor area.
Why do we need an EPC?
A property’s EPC needs to be available as soon as you start to market the property for rent or sale to potential buyers/renters. An approved Domestic Energy Assessor is required to produce an energy performance certificate.
If you follow the energy efficiency recommendations given in the EPC, it’s recommended that the property owner should get a fresh EPC that is inclusive of the changes that have been carried out as you might get a better rating.
A better energy rating could improve salability and price.
Exceptions
There are certain buildings that do not require an EPC, they are:
- Places of worship.
- Stand-alone buildings with total used floor space of less than 50 sqm.
- Buildings that will be used for less than two years.
- Buildings which are due for demolishing.
- Workshops, non-residential agricultural buildings, and industrial sites that don’t use a lot of energy.
- Residential buildings which will be used for less than 4 months in a year.
- Holiday accommodations which will be rented out for less than 4 months in a year or are rented under a license to occupy.
We hope this clears up what an EPC is when selling/buying a property and we hope it helps you contribute towards a greener future!
