The Energy Performance Certificate Explained

From 1st August 2007 all properties advertised for sale with 4 bedrooms or more are required to provide a Home Information Pack which includes an Energy Performance Certificate or EPC (all other properties will be phased in by December 2008.  See bottom of this page for a list of exemptions).

The purpose of the Energy Performance Certificate it to calculate the relative energy efficiency of any given property.
This is similar to the Miles Per Gallon efficiency of a car and is intended to give potential buyers an indication of the running costs of a home, just as a car's MPG figure gives the owner an idea of its weekly running cost.

On completion of the survey the homeowner will be sent a certificate that grades their property’s energy efficiency from A - G.  This scale is similar to the power rating given too domestic white goods such as fridges and freezers where 'A' is the most efficient and 'G' the least efficient.  In practice most homes fall into the 'C' to 'E' categories.

The certificate will also show the environment impact and what recommendations can be made for improvements such as increased levels of insulation and modernization of heating systems.

Please be assured that it is not possible for a home to fail an assessment, the certificate is issued simply to give potential buyers an indication of the likely running costs of the property in terms of an average usage and to suggest energy efficiency improvement measures where they could be made.

The adoption of any suggestions is left to the home owners discretion and is not a legal obligation.

What we do when we carry out an EPC

Duration

The domestic energy assessment normally takes from 1 to 2 hours depending upon the size of the property and the number of extensions or structural complications the building may have.  Once we have carried out the on site assessment and returned to our offices, it takes us an additional 2-3 hours to write up the visit and sites notes, and produce all necessary drawings etc before we can issue your EPC.

External Survey

We will need to survey and take measurements of the exterior of the building and will also need to take digital photographs of the exterior for our site notes.  The purpose of this survey is to help determine the date the property was built and the materials and construction techniques employed.  We also need to indentify at this time whether sections of the building may have been built to different standards from the main building and whether certain areas might have different thermal properties from others.

Interior Assessment

We are required to carry out an energy assessment of the interior of the house on a room by room basis.  This part of the assessment is used to help confirm any alternative wall types and also records the number of radiators or other heat emitters present and any related temperature control systems, the number of fixed lights and the proportion which are low energy.  At the same time we also record glazing types and counts in order to calculate the percentage of glazing that is double glazed.

If you do have double glazing, in order to identify the year of its construction may mean that we have to open windows.  If you have any ornaments, glass or china that may obstruct the window openings they should be moved prior to the assessment to minimize the possibility of any accidental damage.

Regarding interior photography, we are not required to photograph entire rooms, but we will need to photograph small individual elements such as gas fire places, central heating room thermostats and any unusual structural variation in the property.

Heating and Lighting Systems

We will need to have access to your electricity, gas meters and your boiler to record the make, model and system.

Loft Space

We will need to assess and measure the insulation in your loft space if it is accessible.  In these respects if you can make sure that these areas are accessible prior to the visit that would be very helpful.  

Further Questions.....?

If you have any further questions regarding the Energy Performance Certificate or the processes involved we will be happy to answer them by email or during the visit.

Properties not requiring a HIP or EPC on 1st August include:

Properties with fewer than 4 bedrooms.

Properties where there is no marketing.  (e.g. sale to member of your family.)

Seasonal and holiday accommodation.

Mixed sales. (e.g. shop with flat.)

Right to buy and similar sales.

Sales of portfolios of properties.

Properties not being sold with completely vacant possession.

Unsafe properties and properties to be demolished.