What is an Energy Performance Certificate?
Energy Performance Certificates (EPCs) give information on how efficient a property is in using energy and provides guidance on how to make your home or commercial property more energy efficient which can help you to reduce your energy bills and carbon dioxide emissions.
All homes and commercial buildings bought, sold or rented are required to have an EPC.
The above image is a rating graph from an EPC. It shows the current energy efficiency rating plus the potential rate that may be achieved if all recommendations are carried out.
Energy Performance Certificates – what they tell you
EPCs contain:
- Information on your properties energy use and carbon dioxide emissions
- A monetary figure which represents a standardised cost to heat and light the property
- A recommendation report with suggestions to reduce energy use therefore energy bills and carbon dioxide emissions
Energy use, Energy Bills and Carbon Dioxide Emissions
EPC's carry ratings that compare the current energy efficiency and carbon dioxide emissions with potential figures that your property could achieve. Potential figures are calculated by estimating what the energy efficiency, energy bills and carbon dioxide emissions would be if energy saving measures were put in place.
The rating measures the energy and carbon emission efficiency of your home using a grade from ‘A’ to ‘G’. An ‘A’ rating is the most efficient, while ‘G’ is the least efficient. The average efficiency grade to date is ‘D’. All homes are measured using the same calculations, so you can compare the energy efficiency of different properties. The Energy Performance Certificate does not show "your” energy usage but a standardized use is applied to the subject property to enable one house or flat to be compared with another.
Around 27 per cent of the UK’s carbon dioxide emissions come from domestic homes. Carbon dioxide contributes to climate change.
The Recommendation Report
EPCs also provide a detailed recommendation report showing what you could do to help reduce the amount of energy you use and your carbon dioxide emissions. The report lists:
- Suggested improvements, like fitting loft insulation
- Possible cost savings per year, if the improvements are made
- How the recommendations would change the energy and carbon emission rating of the property
You don’t have to act on the recommendations in the recommendation report. However, if you decide to do so, it could make your property more attractive for sale or rent by making it more energy efficient.
There are also grants and funding schemes available and information on how to proceed with these.
