EPC

In August 2007 the government introduced the Energy Performance Certificate in England and Wales. The EPC formed part of the Home Information Pack (HIP), and though the requirement for HIP was abolished in 2010, EPC’s still remain a requirement. EPC’s are a result of domestic and external policies including the performance of building regulations 2007 and European Union Directive 2002/91/EC.

An EPC is produced via conducting an energy survey, conducted by a Domestic Energy Assessor (DEA). The assessor will attend a property; examine items and areas that could be wasting energy, including insulation, boiler, radiators, hot water tank and double glazing. The information accrued is then transposed into a software program that calculates the energy performance of a property. The program provides a wealth of information used to create the EPC. A single number relating to the energy efficiency of the property is provided, with another figure for the potential value. EPC’s also enable you to see estimated energy bills, and the potential improvement, though these estimates are based on averages and do not take into account your actual energy use.

An EPC can be divided into two groups, domestic EPC and commercial EPC. Although they are essentially the same document, because of the scale of commercial properties the way in which the figures are calculated differs slightly. Domestic EPC energy ratings are calculated using the Standard Assessment Procedure (SAP) and Reduced Data Standard Assessment Procedure (RDSAP).

An EPC is essential in the identification of underperforming properties. Without them we would not know the energy performance of properties and ultimately not be able to address the underlying issue of the UK’s carbon emissions.