Energy Performance CertificatesEnergy Performance Certificates (EPCs) are needed whenever a property is:
built sold rentedIf you’re selling or renting your home, you must order an EPC for potential buyers and tenants before you market your property.
Procedure
The energy survey needed to produce an EPC is performed by an assessor who visits the property, examines key items such as loft insulation, domestic boiler, hot water tank, radiators, windows for double glazing, and so on. He or she then inputs the observations into a software program which performs the calculation of energy efficiency. The program gives a single number for the rating of energy efficiency, and a recommended value of the potential for improvement. There are similar figures for environmental impact. A table of estimated energy bills per annum (and the potential for improvement) is also presented, but without any reference to householder bills. The householder will have to pay for the survey. The exercise is entirely non-invasive, so assessors make assumptions on the insulation properties of various elements of the property based on age and construction type. The assessor has the ability to over-ride these assumptions if visual or written evidence is provided to support the presence of insulation which may have been subsequently installed.
Property DetailsThe certificate contains the following property details:[5]
Property address Property type (for example detached house) Date of inspection Certificate Date and serial number Total floor areaThe total floor area is the area contained within the external walls of the property. The figure includes internal walls, stairwells and the like, but excludes garages, porches, areas less than 1.5 m high, balconies and any similar area that is not an internal part of the dwelling.[6]
