Building Energy Efficient Homes
Energy Performance Certificates
Do you need an Energy Performance Certificate?
An EPC is similar to the energy performance certificates provided with domestic appliances such as refrigerators and washing machines.
The EPC provides a rating for the energy performance of a home from A to G, where A is very efficient and G is very inefficient.
What does the Energy Performance Certificate show?
• The energy efficiency rating (this is based on how much the home would cost to run)
• The environmental impact rating (this is based on how much carbon dioxide is released into the environment because of the home).
The rating is based on factors such as age, property layout, construction, heating, lighting, and insulation. The ratings are standard so a tenant can compare the energy efficiency of one home easily with another.
The typical rating for a UK home is a D.
The certificate also provides information about how much it is likely to cost the tenant to run the home. These estimated costs are based on:
• standard assumptions about a property which include the number of occupants
and how long it is heated a day
• average fuel prices when the EPC was produced – these could be up to 10 years old.
The actual running costs will vary depending on the current fuel costs and the lifestyle of the tenants.
A recommendation report forms part of the certificate. This provides a range of improvement measures which could improve the energy performance of the home.
If you require an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC), feel free to reach out to us at 01621 493594 or visiting our contact page. BEE Homes commits to providing a quote within 24 hours. Upon acceptance we can dispatch a Domestic Energy Assessor to your property within 48 hours for London, Home Counties and East Anglia. Secure Expert Professional EPC services today by booking with us.
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How do I get an Energy Performance Certificate?
EPCs must be produced by an accredited Energy Assessor. As a landlord you are free to seek accreditation for yourself and your employees and so become competent to certify your own properties.
If you use an independent energy assessor make sure they are a current member of an accreditation scheme, as this ensures your energy assessor is operating to professional standards. An EPC is only authentic if issued by an accredited Domestic Energy Assessor (DEA). Details of accredited DEA’s can be found at http://www.epcregister.com
BEE Homes are accredited with Elmhurst Energy.
Each EPC has a unique number which will be entered on to a national register by the Energy Assessor. Once the EPC has been created, you can download further copies in the future by using the report reference number on the top right hand side of the certificate.
If you have recently bought a property and are considering letting it, you should have received an EPC as part of the Home information Pack which can be given to prospective tenants. The rating is based on factors such as age, property layout, construction, heating, lighting, and insulation. The ratings are standard so a tenant can compare the energy efficiency of one home easily with another. The typical rating for a UK home is D or E.
The certificate also provides information about how much it is likely to cost the tenant to run the home. These estimated costs are based on:
• standard assumptions about a property which include the number of occupants
and how long it is heated a day
• average fuel prices when the EPC was produced – these could be up to 10 years old.
The actual running costs will vary depending on the current fuel costs and the lifestyle of the tenants.
A recommendation report forms part of the certificate. This provides a range of improvement measures which could improve the energy performance of the home
What does an EPC Inspection involve?
Once you have requested an EPC from an accredited energy assessor, the assessor will contact you to arrange a convenient time to visit your property.
The EPC inspection may also be referred to as a Domestic Energy Assessment. During the domestic energy assessment the assessor will need to inspect your property and collect information.
This will include external or internal measurements, details about the construction, and the type of heating/hot water used in your property.
The assessor will need to access all the rooms, the boiler and the loft. The assessor may need to take photographs of items such as heaters and meters.
The assessment of a 3 bed property normally takes up to 60 minutes; larger or
complex properties can take longer
How do I prepare for the Domestic Energy Assessment?
The assessor will need know about how your home has been built. Finding supporting information before the assessor visits will ensure you get the most accurate rating for your property.
The assessor will want to know:
• when the property was built (searches or deeds may provide evidence)
• whether or not your property has been extended and when
• if it has been double glazed, any certificates that may be available
• whether the walls have been insulated and if so whether this is cavity, internal or external insulation
• boilers and hot water cylinders – when these were installed and any manuals you may have
• location of room thermostats and heating timers
• location of gas and electricity meters
• the type of heating fuel you use and the types of heating you use for your rooms.
After the visit, the assessor will feed the information gathered during the assessment into an authorised software programme which will produce your EPC and recommendation report. Information collected about your property is protected from disclosure without your permission other than for strictly limited purposes.
Each improvement in the recommendation report is accompanied by the typical cost savings per year as well as what the performance rating could be after improvements are made.
What sort of recommendations will be made and what do they mean?
The recommendation report includes cost-effective recommendations split into low cost improvements (up to £500) and high cost improvements (over £500).
It also includes more advanced energy improvements that could be applied to a home to achieve the highest possible energy efficiency standards. Many of these will be more costly and have a much longer payback period.
For a more detailed analysis and tailored recommendations it might worth asking the assessor about a Retrofit Assessment.
Do I have to act on the recommendations?
So long as a private rented property meets the minimum energy efficiency standard (MEES) of and E, C for social housing, there is no legal requirement to act on any of the recommendations.
The recommendations are for you (and your prospective tenant). However, taking action on the recommendations is likely to improve the energy efficiency of your property and make it more attractive to prospective tenants and/or buyers.
Financial assistance may be available to help with the cost of works.
I already have a lot of data about my properties, can this be used?
If you hold extensive and up-to-date data about the energy efficiency performance of your properties, it may be possible for the assessor to use this data.
It is advised you have an initial conversation with the assessor prior the domestic energy assessment to ensure evidence is adequate and compliant for it to be included within the modelling.
I have a number of similar properties, do all of them need to be visited to produce an EPC?
If you have a number of properties that are similar, it may be possible to produce EPCs for them all by assessing a sample however only on confirmation from the accreditation scheme.
What happens if I am dissatisfied with a domestic energy assessment or EPC?
If you are concerned about any aspect of the energy assessment or the quality or accuracy of the EPC you should initially contact the Energy Assessor. If you are still concerned you should contact the accreditation body of your Energy Assessor. You can find contact details of the Energy Assessor and their accreditation scheme on your EPC.
What are the penalties if I do not have an EPC?
The provision of EPCs is enforced by the Trading Standards department of the local authority. If they receive a complaint that an EPC has not been provided they can impose a penalty charge on you for each breach.
What finanical assistance is available for improvement works?
Most energy suppliers in the UK are part of what’s known as the Energy Company Obligation (ECO) scheme, meaning they’re required to help improve households’ energy efficiency through boiler grants and insulation measures, such as for cavity walls and lofts. £1,000s of grants are up for grabs, but it’s only available to people who get certain benefits.
Also as part of the scheme, if you live in a property that’s heated by electricity, and you’re in receipt of benefits, you might be eligible to replace your old electric heaters and radiators with new, energy efficient electric storage heaters for free.
If you live in England or Wales and want to replace your existing gas, oil or electric boiler with a heat pump or biomass boiler, you could get £7,500 towards the cost of doing so.
You should be eligible providing you own the property, though some may need to install insulation before any work is completed on your heating system in order to be eligible (your installer will tell you if you need it).
You don’t need to apply to get the scheme, your chosen installer will apply on your behalf – though make sure you choose an installer certified by the Microgeneration Certification Service (MCS).
In Scotland, there’s a similar scheme, enabling homeowners to apply for a grant of £7,500 (or up to £9,000 for those living in rural and island homes) to install a heat pump, as well as the option to borrow an interest-free loan for extra funding needed. Find out more from Home Energy Scotland.
If you’re off the main gas grid, on low income and have an energy performance certificate (EPC) rating from D to G, you might be eligible for a home upgrade grant (HUG). This could include energy efficiency measures such as wall, loft and underfloor insulation, installation of heat pumps, solar panels, double glazing, low energy lighting and electric storage heaters.
It’s only available to certain postcodes in England, and you need to apply through your local council. Contact your local authority to see if you’re eligible and find what’s available in your area.