What are Energy Performance Certificates?
Energy Performance Certificates (EPC’s) are required whenever a property is built, sold or rented. They rate homes in terms of energy efficiency. Each home is given a score from A-G. An ‘A’ rated home is the most energy efficient (cheapest to run) while a ‘G’ rated home is the least energy efficient (most expensive to run). Looking at your EPC rating can help you gauge how energy efficient your home is. It can also help you identify the measures you can take to become more energy efficient and reduce your energy bills.
You can search for your homes EPC by checking the EPC Register and clicking the ‘Retrieve Report Using Property Address’ tab to search for your homes EPC by postcode.
How can they help me make energy efficiency improvements?
Towards the top of the EPC you will find a list of the top 3 actions you can take to improve your homes energy efficiency as well as the indicative costs and typical savings that can be made by installing the measures. Towards the end of the report you will find a more comprehensive list of measures that also includes the rating after improvement. An EPC is valid for a period of 10 years.
It may be a good idea to get a new EPC completed if yours is out of date – technology has moved on considerably in the last 10 years. New innovation and decreases in price mean that some measures are now much more affordable and have a quicker payback time than in 2009.
What if I can't find my EPC on the register?
If you’ve lived in your home for a long time (since before 2008), you may not have had an EPC completed when you bought your house. If you moved into your house in 2008 or 2009 then your EPC will now be out of date.
The EPC register also holds a searchable list of registered assessors across the country where you can find an assessor near you who can carry out an assessment of your property. An EPC assessment will likely cost between £60-£120.