WHAT IS AN ENERGY PERFORMANCE CERTIFICATE?
An Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) is a legal requirement for any home being sold, rented or for certain subsidised renewable energy schemes. It can only be produced by a qualified and accredited Domestic Energy Assessor (DEA).
The assessor will need to visit the property to carry out the assessment and produce the EPC. Typically, the survey takes less than an hour depending on the property size and complexity and the DEA will collect relevant data about the property, take measurements and photographs for data verification and audit purposes. Access is required to all rooms and loft space if applicable, heating and hot water systems and their controls will also need to be seen. This data is then run through standard assessment software and the EPC is created and then lodged onto the Government's database.
The EPC shows two Energy Efficiency Ratings on a colour coded scale of A to G, A being the most energy efficient and G the least. The lower rating is how the property scores today as is, the other rating, normally higher, is how the property would rate if the recommended improvements were carried out.
A point to note regarding the recommendations, they are not made by the DEA but are generated automatically by the software depending on the data input. For example, if a property has single glazing the software will recommend double glazing. The EPC contains useful information about how to make a home warmer and more comfortable as well as saving money on fuel bills.
Nobody looks forward to the winter's heating bill landing on the doormat, find out now what savings you could make by implementing recommended energy efficiency improvements. You don't need to wait until you are selling your house to order an EPC and see how you might benefit from lower bills.