FAQ's

Since it was first introduced in England and Wales in 2006, the EPC is now a legal requirement for a building to be sold, let or constructed. Once the Energy Performance Certificate is issued, it is the owner or landlord’s responsibility to keep it up-to-date. If you choose to use an estate agent to market the property, they must include a copy of the EPC report in all commercial advertisements such as a brochure and website, etc. With a new building, the builder in charge of the construction is responsible for producing the Energy Certificate. If you choose to market privately, the EPC is still a legal requirement for both sales and lettings.

If you are looking to market your property, for either sale or rent, then you are legally obliged to have a valid energy certificate. This applies to both residential and commercial buildings. Recent changes in legislation mean that you now need a certificate even if you already have existing tenants already in place.

The key factor in determining the price of an energy report is size. The larger the property, the higher the cost of the report will be. In order to get a fixed price quote for your property and to check availability in your area then simply click here.

Each property is graded on the level of energy efficiency. The ratings are scored from A-G, with A being the most efficient and G the least. The higher the rating of the building, the more energy-efficient it is and the lower the bills will be. The current average rating for UK homes is D-E.

EPCs were introduced by the European Union initiative (Directive 2002/91/EC – EPBD) to help drive energy efficiency across all the member states. As energy consumption is increasing, so are CO2 emissions that go hand in hand with it. Therefore this directive was designed to address two high level challenges:

• Reduce harmful CO2 emissions that are a by-product of non-renewable energy production

• Ensure energy supplies are secured and maintained in the medium and long-term

The energy assessor will need access to all rooms so they can accurately measure the property and examine the necessary items such as the type of glazing and material of the window frames, heating and cooling systems, presence and levels of insulation in the floor, walls and roof, the hot water system and lighting. This data is then used to calculate the current level of energy efficiency, as well as the potential rating.

If you are looking to sell your property then you cannot ‘fail’ the inspection. However, for those looking to rent a property then, as of April 2018, you are unable to move new tenants in unless the property has a minimum efficiency rating of ‘E’. From April 1st, 2020, this was extended to cover all existing tenancies as well.