Energy Performance Certificates and your home
An Energy Performance Certificate is part of a Home Information Pack.
The certificates are commissioned by the seller (or their agent) from an accredited Energy Assessor, who visits the property to collect the relevant data and creates the certificate.
This data includes the date, construction and location of the house and relevant fittings (heating systems, insulation or double glazing, for example).
What is an Energy Performance Certificate?
An Energy Performance Certificate shows the official energy efficiency rating of a property. If you're not planning to sell your home, you don't need to do anything.
The certificate provides you with a rating for the building, showing its energy efficiency and its environmental impact on a scale from A-G (where A is the most efficient and G the least efficient), in graphical format. It also contains recommended ways to improve the building's energy performance.
By 2009, all buildings in the UK that are constructed, sold or rented out will have to have an Energy Performance Certificate, in accordance with the European Energy Performance of Buildings Directive.
Predicted and interim energy assessments
Predicted energy assessments are for homes that are not yet built. When a home is designed, a predictedenergy rating based on the design is produced. This must achieve, as a minimum, the target energy rating laid down for the home as specified by the energy efficiency requirements of building regulations.
Interim energy assessments are for new homes built in accordance with the energy efficiency requirements of the building regulations that came into force in April 2006. For these homes, only the energy-efficiency and environmental-impact graphs will be required, and not the full Energy Performance Certificate.
Energy Performance Certificates for Rental Properties
Energy Performance Certificates (EPCs) will be required for all rental properties from 1st October 2008.
What is the purpose of an EPC?
The Energy Performance Certificate is a new legal requirement which tells the potential buyers of your property how energy efficient your home is. The energy efficiency rating is a measure of the overall efficiency of a home and is represented on a scale of A-G, with 'A' being the highest score and 'G' being the lowest. The higher the rating the more energy efficient the home is and the lower the fuel bills will be.
When is an EPC required?
- The EPC must be provided every time a property is marketed to potential new tenants. A new EPC need not be provided on renewal of a tenancy agreement.
- The documents must be available when the property is being viewed, or when an offer of accommodation is made.
- Failure to produce an EPC could delay a tenancy starting and thus lead to a loss of rent and also break the continuity in the property being let.
Validity period:
- EPCs used for rental purposes can be valid for up to 10 years. This applies to EPCs issued for both existing and newbuild properties.
Benefits:
- Landlords will be seen to be acting responsibly by making available better information to tenants on the energy efficiency of the rental and current running costs.
- The certificate's recommendations should encourage more efficient use of energy by the incoming tenant.
- Landlords of older properties may well find implementing energy efficiency measures sooner rather than later will give them an edge in the market.