Frequently asked questions

What is an EPC?

An Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) is an asset rating about the energy efficiency of a home. The energy efficiency itself is rated on a scale from A to G, with A being the most energy-efficient and G being the least energy-efficient.

It’s best to think about an EPC in three ways:

• It’s like an energy label – a way of comparing one home with another.
• It’s a dataset with different uses, including data warehouses on retrofit and national statistics about the UK’s housing stock.
• It’s a set of recommendations to improve your home’s energy efficiency, and can be used to access certain energy efficiency incentives such as Energy Company Obligation (ECO).

Why do I need an EPC?

If you are selling or renting your home, you are legally required to have an EPC. By having an EPC, tenants and potential buyers understand the energy efficiency of the home and can make informed decisions.

Are there any exemptions?

There are limited exemptions to the requirement for an EPC. These are:

1. Homes with a demolition order in space
2. Small detached dwellings below 50 square meters.
3. Temporary buildings which will be used for two years or less.
4. Residential buildings which are used or intended to be used for under a third of the year or an energy consumption of under a quarter of all-year round use.
5. Individual rooms in houses in multiple occupation (HMO) being rented (but the whole building will still need an EPC if sold or let).

Who carries out my EPC?

An Awarding Body of the Built Environment (ABBE) qualified Domestic Energy Assessor (DEA) will carry out an assessment of your home.

Our energy assessor is fully qualified and a member of the Quidos accreditation scheme.

How long is an EPC valid for?

An EPC is valid for 10 years. After this time, you need to get a new EPC.

How much does an EPC cost?

An EPC’s cost depends on the size and complexity of your home. Please get in touch to arrange a quote based on this.

What gets inspected during an EPC visit?

The Energy Assessor inspects the inside and outside of the home and the visible parts of building services.

What catchment area do you cover?

Our main catchment area for EPCs is Plymouth, Tavistock, Ivybridge and their surrounding villages. We can provide EPCs outside of these areas, but this will include a supplement charge for mileage. This will be made clear when you book your EPC.

Why are EPCs different for new builds and existing homes?

The methodology used to produce your EPC will vary depending on whether your home is a new build or existing home.

For existing homes, the Reduced Data Standard Assessment Procedure (RdSAP) methodology is used. This enables an EPC to be produced from a visual assessment alone and documentary evidence which is readily available.

For new builds and conversions, the full Standard Assessment Procedure (SAP) methodology is used based on detailed plans and information from the architect. Please see our On Construction page for more information about this service.

Will you need access to my loft?

Yes, we need access to your loft in order to assess any insulation present. We will access your loft safely from a 3 metre telescopic ladder (which we will provide). If we can’t access the loft, such as if it is locked or blocked, this will affect the accuracy of your EPC. The likely impact is that your EPC rating will fall significantly because the EPC software will instead make an assumption about the amount of loft insulation present. Please specifically instruct us in writing if we cannot access the loft because we need to evidence this to our accreditation scheme.

What about pets and valuables?

Please ensure that any pets are securely under your control during the inspection.

To capture visual evidence, we use a camera to photograph both internal and external features of the home, in order to provide evidence for our accreditation scheme. Please ensure that any valuables or personal possessions that you do not wish to be on view are removed or securely stored prior to the inspection.

Why do you need to take photographs?

Our accreditation scheme is required to audit EPCs we lodge to ensure their accuracy and provide confidence in EPCs. In short, the photographic evidence collected enables an EPC auditor to recreate the EPC from scratch. Rest assured that this evidence is used only to audit EPC submissions.

Do I need to provide any evidence or paperwork?

If you have any documentary evidence about equipment and systems in your home, please email this over or have this available during the home visit.

If we cannot see and photograph it, then documentary evidence of installation is required by our accreditation scheme in order to include these in your EPC.

Evidence accepted by our accreditation scheme includes:

• Installation certificates for wall insulation
• Commissioning certificates for boilers
• Microgeneration Certification Scheme (MCS) certificates
• Guarantees and warranties
• Building control sign offs
• Letters from builders (reviewed on a case-by-case basis by our accreditation scheme)

Do you need to lodge my EPC?

We’ll check with you before lodging the EPC to ensure you’re happy with it. If you don’t want to lodge the EPC, we can instead provide you with its contents in the form of an Energy Report. Please note though that an EPC needs to be lodged in order to meet requirements such as marketed sales or MEES.

What happens if I have a low EPC rating?

There is no minimum EPC requirement for owned occupied homes.

It’s a little bit more complicated if you live in a rented home. After the Minimum Energy Efficiency Standards (MEES) were introduced in April 2018, a valid EPC of at least an E rating is required to be able to rent the home. If the rating falls below E, landlords must invest in energy efficiency measures to increase the rating to an E (although the contribution is capped at £3,500). Some homes are exempt, but you need to register these exemptions. The minimum requirement of an E rating could increase in the future.

Your EPC says my energy bills are £X when in fact they are £Y – how do you explain this?

EPCs make assumptions about how many people occupy a home based on floor area, and how those occupants consume energy using different appliances and systems. It’s about comparing apples with apples, because the energy use of a large family who are home all day wouldn’t be comparable with a single person who is out all day.

I’ve read media coverage that EPCs aren’t accurate – is this true?

When interpreting your EPC, it is important to remember that EPCs are an asset rating system designed to compare the performance of different homes. The software used for all EPCs makes certain assumptions about the construction type or condition of the home. EPCs don’t consider how the home is used. It also assumes a standard level of occupancy and heating levels. As such, it’s not unusual to feel it is not a true reflection of the performance of the home. For example, your energy bills may be much higher or lower than indicated on the EPC because of how you use your home.

If you have any questions about the EPC, feel free get in touch to discuss this in more detail.

What can I do to improve my home’s energy efficiency rating?

There are several ways to improve your home’s energy efficiency rating. This can include installing insulation, upgrading your heating system, and using energy-efficient lighting. Your EPC will recommend a series of these measures, but it’s important to remember an EPC makes certain assumptions about your home and doesn’t account for its condition.

My EPC has recommended something that isn’t appropriate for my home. What do I do?

EPCs are software driven and particular findings in your home automatically trigger certain recommendations. For example, the software will recommend wind turbines for all rural homes or solar water heating where a hot water cylinder is present. It is often the case that these may be too expensive to be worthwhile or inappropriate for the home.

Similarly, certain energy saving measures that you may be aware of, like external wall insulation, might not be listed as a recommendation for you on the EPC report. It may be that the home is not suitable for these measures, that they already exist at the home, or that the EPC software has been calculated that the savings made would not be large enough.

Just because a recommendation is made by an EPC does not mean you are required to follow it through. If you are thinking about installing energy efficiency measures, a Retrofit Assessment is a good next step and will give a better idea of what is actually suitable given how the home is used and its condition.

If you have any questions about the EPC, feel free get in touch to discuss this in more detail.