Energy Performance Certificate (EPC)
An EPC (or evidence that it has been ordered) must be made available when the property is viewed, when written information is provided on request from a potential buyer; and before contracts are exchanged.
What's In An EPC
Energy Performance Certificates (EPCs) were introduced in England and Wales as part of the now defunct Home Information Packs (HIPs) for domestic properties. EPCs were retained, when HIPs were done away with. From October 1st 2008, home-owners have been responsible for commissioning and publishing an EPC if they want to sell their home, irrespective of size or number of bedrooms. They are required to commission one before marketing of any property commences (although you can market before it is completed. To not have done this can land both the home owner and the estate agent that is marketing the property with with a £200 fine repeatable for each day the EPC is not available or ordered)!
As a minimum, the asset ratings graphs from your EPC must be included within the sales particulars(including electronic versions like web listings or PDFs) if they contain two or more of the following:a photograph of the building or any room inside the building; a floor plan of the building;a description of the size of the rooms in the building. An EPC is valid for 10 years.
An EPC (or evidence that it has been ordered) must be made available when the property is viewed, when written information is provided on request from a potential buyer; and before contracts are exchanged.
If you use an existing EPC nearing the end of its legal life (for example, 9 years and 11 months old), it will remain valid for as long as your home is continuously marketed. But if you temporarily pull your home off the market for more than 28 days, you will need to replace it if it's more than 10 years old when you resume marketing. A new EPC always supersedes an older one. EPC exemptions include:
- Holiday accommodation that’s rented out for less than 4 months a year or is let under a licence to occupy
- Listed buildings - however there should be reports from a Local Authority Conservation officer if recent work has altered the building’s character
- Residential buildings intended to be used less than 4 months a year
- Unsafe properties or those about to be demolished.
- Properties not sold with complete vacant possession
- Sales of homes within a broader property portfolio being sold (including mixed use eg shop & flat)
What Does An EPC Cover
An Energy Performance Certificate is a snapshot of your homes energy efficiency at a given time.
Energy Efficiency Rating
The energy efficiency rating is a measure of the overall efficiency of a home. The higher the rating the more energy efficient the home is and the lower the fuel bills will be. bullet format
Environmental Impact CO2 Rating
The environmental impact rating is a measure of a home’s impact on the environment in terms of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions. The higher the rating the less impact it has on the environment.
An Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) shows the energy current and potential energy rating of a property, known as a ‘SAP rating’. A ‘SAP’ rating stands for Standard Assessment Procedure and is the governments recommended system for producing a home energy rating. The SAP charts have been divided into 7 bands ranging from A-G. Each range has a set amount of ‘SAP’ points. Each chart has a current and a potential energy rating out of a maximum of 100 points (being maximum efficiency).
Estimated energy use, carbon dioxide (CO2) Emissions & Fuel Costs
This tells you your current and potential energy use and carbon dioxide emissions per year. It also shows your estimated current spending on elements such as lighting, heating and hot water and what they potentially could be if you made the recommended improvements. bullet format
Summary of A Home’s Energy Performance Related Features
The summary will assess the key individual elements that have an impact on your home’s performance rating. Each element is assessed against the following scale: Very Poor/Poor/Average/Good/Very Good. The key elements that are considered are walls, roof, floor, windows, main heating, main heating controls, secondary heating, hot water, lighting. bullet format.
Recommended measures to Improve Energy Performance
The report will contain a section showing what the recommended measures that can be taken to improve the property’s energy efficiency. We do not recommend that you carry out any of these recommendations yourself. We would strongly advise you to seek a professional in within the area of expertise required to discuss how the improvements could be made.
Finding A Supplier
he Domestic Energy Performance Certificate Register is operated by Landmark on behalf of the Government. There is a Government accreditation scheme to help you choose an EPC Supplier. Registering on this site will enable you to find locally accredited suppliers. see here [1].
Finding A Certificate
You can search for your own certificate on the Government's EPC Register here [2]
Understanding Your EPC
https://www.epcregister.com/faq.html
Legal Basis
The legislation covering EPCs is contained in the Energy Performance of Buildings (Certificates and Inspections) (England and Wales) Regulations 2007 (as amended by the Energy Performance of Buildings (Certificates and Inspections) (England and Wales) (Amendment) Regulations 2010).
See Also In Chimni
Chimni Wiki Home Information Packs - HIPs
Other Interesting Web Sites
How The Asset Rating Is Calculated
Guide For Landlords For Rental Property
References
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