Energy Performance Certificates, or EPCs as they are widely known and referred to, have been in the news a fair bit recently. They are required whenever you sell your property or are renting/letting your property out.
There are however a fair few myths when it comes to EPCs and what they actually are and when you can get one. Here, we dispel some myths behind the certificate.
EPCs Are Needed on Every Property
There are two ways of looking at this question because in many aspects, the simple answer is no although it isn't as clear cut as that.
If you live in a typical property that does not currently have an EPC but you are happily living there and have no plans to rent and sell, then no you do not need one. However, when it comes to selling or renting out then in simple terms yes you will unless your property is exempt. This is a legal requirement.
Properties that are exempt include mobile homes (park homes), houseboats and holiday lets which are let out for less than 4 months per year. If you are unsure if your property is exempt, seek guidance in the first instance.
It Does Not Matter What my Rating is
So you've had an EPC survey done and it's come out as an F rating. There are two considerations here:
If you are selling, then in reality the rating won't prevent you from selling your home as there is no legal minimum requirement for selling, but it may have an impact on who is interested in your property. This is because with the current energy crisis, more and more potential buyers looking at more energy efficient homes. The higher the EPC rating of course, the more energy efficient a home is.
When it comes to renting your property out, there is a legal minimum requirement. That is currently set at an E or above. There are plans to make this a minimum C from the end of 2025 although that's still going through parliament at time of publishing. If your property is not at least an E, then you cannot legally rent it out and must make improvements to bring the rating up.
I Have to Make All the Recommended Changes on an EPC Certificate
Once your new EPC certificate is ready, you will see a rating and a potential rating. The potential rating is what could be achieved should you make all of the recommendations listed. These may be, for example, better loft insulation, a new boiler, wall insulation etc.
You do not have to do all of the changes. Many people may choose to do only one, and assume the rating would improve by however much is being stated. That is not always the case. The increases are potential, not assured, and are cumulative, and doing only one and not the others in the order stated may mean the projected potential increase will not be as much without the other ones being present.
There is nothing stopping you only doing one of course, just don't be surprised if your property rating increases by 7 points and not the projected 10 it said on the certificate for example.
I Own a Listed Building, I Cannot Make any Changes to Improve the Energy Efficiency of the Property
This is also somewhat of a myth although it is understandable why people may think they can't make any improvements. While it is indeed true that you can't just take a proverbial sledgehammer to a listed building, this does not mean you cannot make improvements.
There is nothing in the guidance that says you can't bring in energy efficiency measures, however the guidance is clear in that any works must not 'unacceptably alter their character and appearance'. The best advice is to speak to the planning office at the council for guidance before deciding whether to undertake any works following an EPC survey.
The Assessor Ignored Cavity Wall Insulation I Told The m was Inside the Wall
Seeing the word 'assumed' is very common on an EPC certificate. You will usually see this word in brackets pop up alongside the Wall, Floor and Roof sections.
What this basically means is during the energy performance certificate survey, such as we offer on the Isle of Wight, the assessor was unable to view if that particular feature had any energy measures present or there was no clear evidence it existed. For example, if there are no external drill holes in a wall showing it has been cavity filled, we cannot assume it has been.
Taking our proverbial sledgehammer again, when doing an EPC survey on the IOW for example, we don't arrive and start smashing into walls or floors to see if they have any insulation present. Usually we can get to see in the loft and look for loft or roof insulation, but there are occasions when this too is not possible.
When this happens, we as energy assessors input into the calculation software that it is 'as built'. In other words, the software will assume a specific measure may or may not be in that feature based on the year of build. For example, a property built in 2015 is going to have insulation in the walls, floors and roof space because current building regulations require it. A Victorian property will not, because back then, building regulations did not require those measures. The older your property, the lower the rating will be.
While we do not doubt verbal assurances, we cannot accept claims made verbally by owners without evidence of measures being present.
EPC Assessors Come up with the Rating
This is also a myth that is often brought up. We as energy performance certificate assessors or surveyors do not calculate the rating that a property comes out as. Our job is to survey the property, record the measures present and input them into a industry-standard software that every energy assessor uses.
It is the software that then generates the rating from A to G, so when you see your certificate, even if you had two different assessors do two different surveys, assuming they both saw the same energy measures such as the type of boiler, what windows you have, roof insulation, LEDs etc, then the rating would almost certainly be the same.
Floor Areas Should Always be the Same on an EPC Certificate as Marketing Packs
It isn't uncommon for total floorplan areas on EPC certificates to vary and be less than the figure you see on estate agent sites or on original architect plans.
Sometimes in properties during a survey, we do not include certain areas as part of the survey. This may include, for example, an unheated garage accessed via the property, an unheated utility room, eaves etc. This is because we look at walls where heat loss occurs (without getting too technical). For example if your lounge wall is next to your unheated large garage, you lose heat through that wall whereas if the garage was heated, you would not lose heat.
Agents will also often include areas of useable space such as decking or external storage cupboards that are not included in an EPC survey for their marketing packs, and this often leads to higher floor plan areas being shown than what is on an EPC.
I Have to Wait 10 Years Before I can Have Another EPC Assessment
Energy Performance Certificates are valid for 10 years, so you don't need to renew it while it remains valid. However, there's nothing stopping you getting a new assessment and certificate when you choose. This may be because you've had new measures put in such as loft insulation.
It is recommended to renew your certificate if it is a few years old when you are selling your property as it is possible the rating may have changed in the intervening years.
You do Not Need to Take Photos
The energy performance certificate assessment process is audited. Every energy assessor, such as us here at Valerien Property Services on the Isle of Wight, must be aligned to a recognised assessment body. The most popular one in the UK is Elmhurst Energy and we are a member of the body.
The organisation carries out random checks/audits on EPCs to ensure what is being stated is indeed accurate. This is partly to avoid cases of fraudulent certificates being produced with false ratings based on measures that simple do not exist at a property, and also to ensure that high standards are being maintained and mistakes are not being made when inputting details of the survey.
Whenever we take photos, we are taking pictures to prove that what we say is present is indeed at a property, such as the type of boiler, the windows, insulation levels, types of heaters etc.
We don't take pictures of personal items, only photos specific to the energy assessment.
More to Come!
That's just some of the myths dispelled, there's an awful lot more which we will do later on in 2023, we hope you have found this useful.
If you need an EPC or energy performance certificate survey including on the Isle of Wight (IOW), give us a call on 07368 838213 or email info@valerien.co.uk and we will be happy to help!
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