Domestic Energy Performance Certificates, also known as EPCs, are a legal requirement for any new property and also for property owners that intend to sell or rent their property. The principle behind the Domestic Energy Performance Certificate is two fold and bids to provide the buyer or tenant with a means to determine the energy performance or efficiency of a home while also providing details to the property owner on how they can improve this figure and make the property more efficient.
The Importance Of Energy Efficiency
The energy efficiency of a property is important and can impact on the amount you need to spend to heat the property and for general energy usage. The more energy efficient a property is, the better it will be at retaining heat and energy without losing any through inefficient windows or structures. Domestic Energy Performance Certificates don’t just grade a house according to how efficient it currently is but gives extensive details on improvements that can be made and just how much benefit these improvements would offer.
Energy Performance Grades
The energy efficiency grade of a property is usually considered the most pertinent fact for home buyers and tenants. Fortunately, all assessors use the same criteria and the same software in order to generate a grade from A to G. This uniformity in grading a property means that the tenant or buyer can compare homes and property on a like for like basis and determine which is the most energy efficient.
Potential Improvements And Their Benefits
Every Domestic Energy Performance Certificate will also include proposed changes and improvements that can be made to the property. As well as listing items such as loft insulation that can greatly decrease energy loss from a property, the certificate will also offer an estimated price to have the work completed along with the benefits that it would offer (both in terms of efficiency and financial gains). This makes the EPC particularly useful for home owners as well as buyers.
Your Legal Obligation To Get A Domestic EPC
If you’re looking to sell your house and you live in England or Wales then you must have a valid Domestic Energy Performance Certificate that is less than three years old. Once an EPC reaches this age it becomes invalid and a new one is required before you can sell your property. As a potential tenant or buyer you should always ensure that the EPC you are offered falls within this time scale because many factors could have changed in this time.
Domestic Energy Performance Certificates
In order to get a Domestic Energy Performance Certificate you will need to contact an accredited Domestic Energy Assessor. The assessor will complete a survey of the property and record all of the relevant details that includes information like the property size and dimensions as well as information regarding the water heating and room heating systems. This information is then fed into government approved software in order to generate the information that is required for your EPC and you will be given a full Energy Performance Certificate with your current grade as well as potential improvements.
