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HOW TO MAKE YOUR HOME MORE ENERGY EFFICIENT

How We Can Help

To understand how energy efficient your home is and where you can make improvements, the first step is to have an Energy Performance Certificate produced by one of our qualified and accredited energy assessors. Energy Performance Certificates or EPCs are a rating scheme used by the UK Government to review and summarise the energy efficiency of buildings. They were introduced in 2007 and are a legal requirement when selling or renting a property. They are also a very useful tool for home owners trying to understand how energy efficient their homes are and how they can make efficiency improvements.

You may already have an EPC. You can check the national register at any time to check if you have an EPC and if you do, to view it. The register is held on the Gov.UK domain and it is available for all to view. Click the button to check now, all you need your postcode and house number. Simply choose Domestic Property when prompted and enter your postcode and this will take you to a list of EPC e-certificates for all of the existing EPCs under that postcode.

CHECK EPC REGISTER

How Our Service Works

Your assessor will visit your home and measure the dimensions of the entire property to calculate the volume of space being heated.

They will examine and photograph key elements that impact the properties energy efficiency, including the type of property it is (flat / house / maisonette, semi / detached / terraced), when and how it was built and what insulation there is in the floor, walls and loft space.

They will examine the room and water heating (capturing the make and model numbers of gas or electric boilers or heat pumps, size and capacity of immersion tanks, solar panel arrays etc), the type of heating emitters and their controls (radiators / underfloor, thermostats etc), whether it has single, double or triple glazed windows and the type of lighting (LED / Halogen / Incandescent).

Your assessor will input their observations and data into a software program which completes the energy efficiency calculation and produces the EPC.

They will upload photos and documents as evidence of the information they have input. They may need additional documentation from yourselves as evidence of elements of the property that they are not able to check or access.

For example if a loft conversion has been completed, the assessor will need documentation that proves the year it was completed. This may be available from building control or from the builder that did the work. Similarly, if the walls have been insulated and your assessor is not able to check this, they will need something in writing from the installer confirming the thickness of the insulation that has been installed.

When the assessment has been completed, the assessor will email the completed certificate to you along with any anecdotal feedback from the assessment and they will be happy to answer any questions you might have.

What Does The EPC Tell You

The full Energy Performance Certificate is a multi page report of the energy efficiency of your property, taking into account key features such as; how it is built, how it is heated, how it is insulated, the type of windows and the type of lighting. The following sections summarise the information found on an EPC.
The EPC Energy Rating
The EPC calculation generates a numerical score for the energy rating which is presented on the EPC in a multi coloured chart using an Alpha Numeric scale from A to G. G1 being the lowest rating possible indicating a very inefficient property and A92+ being the highest rating possible indicating the property is very energy efficient.

The average rating across England and Wales is D60. This is largely due to the age of a lot of the UKs housing stock. There are a significant number of Victorian properties in some cities across the UK and a lot of properties built pre and post war that were not insulated when they were built. Many of these properties have not had insulation fitted retrospectively and many that have other inefficient features such as single glazing.

This chart will seem familiar as it is the same rating chart that is used on many electrical goods to present how energy efficient they are.

Brighton & Hove EPCs Energy Rating Chart
EPC Summary of Key Features
The certificate includes a breakdown of the properties energy performance which summarises key features including the walls, roof, floor, windows, heating and lighting.

Each feature gets a rating based on how energy efficient it is – Very Poor, Poor, Average, Good, Very Good. Ratings are not based on how well the feature actually works or its condition.

For example the certificate might show the heating system as a mains gas powered boiler with a ‘Good’ rating. This is based on the make and model of the actual boiler which is captured during the assessment and entered into the EPC software and not whether the boiler is in good working order.

EPC Cert Key Features Summary
EPC Estimated Energy Bills
The certificate also provides an estimation of how much the cost of the room heating, hot water and lighting would be based on average household usage and average costs when the EPC is produced.

This isn’t an exact science, there are over 28 million households across the UK and we all use our heating and lighting differently but it does give a good indication of what savings could be made if you were to complete the suggested steps for improving this property’s energy rating, found further down the certificate.

The snapshot shows an example taken from an EPC produced in 2023.
The costs, savings and ‘energy needed’ are based on the information captured in the EPC assessment, including the size of the property, the type of heating and lighting present and how well the property is insulated.

EPC Cert Estimated Energy Bills
EPC Environmental Impact Rating
The certificate shows an estimation of the carbon dioxide emissions the property produces based on assumptions around average occupancy and energy use. Carbon dioxide is the main gas produced through human activity that contributes to climate change.

There is an additional rating to demonstrate the properties environmental impact, again on the A to G scale, A being the best rating and G being the worst.

There is also an estimation of how much the properties carbon dioxide emissions could be reduced by and how that would impact the environmental impact rating if you were to complete the suggested steps for improving this property’s energy rating, found further down the certificate.

The snapshot shows an example taken from an EPC produced in 2023. The carbon emissions are based on the information captured in the EPC assessment, including the size of the property, the type of heating and lighting present and how well the property is insulated.

Environmental Impact Rating Chart
EPC Recommendations
This section of the certificate provides a list of changes and improvements you could make to the property that will improve its energy rating and should therefore lower its environmental impact and reduce its running costs. Each recommendation includes a ‘typical installation cost’ and ‘typical yearly saving’. Again these costs and savings are based on average usage and costs across the UK.

The snapshot shows the first few recommendations from an EPC produced in 2023. The recommendations are automatically generated based on the information captured in the EPC assessment.

For example if there is no gas supply to the property, any recommendations about heating the property will be based on electric systems only. Insulation will only be recommended if there is no insulation present or any existing insulation could be improved upon.

Sometimes there are just one or two recommendations, sometimes there are many. It all depends on the existing property and the elements of it that impact the energy rating.

EPC Cert Recommendations

EPC Appointments

The time an EPC appointment takes is dependent on the size of the property and the features and elements in the property that your assessor will need to check.

A one bed studio might take just 10 or 15 minutes in the property whereas a 4 bed house might take 30 to 45 minutes. We try to visit properties in the morning and process the EPC in the afternoon so you should get it the same day. We will keep you updated with expected completion times.

To be able to measure the property accurately and check features like windows, lights and radiators, your assessor will need access to every room in the property and access to all loft areas to check for insulation.

Booking An Appointment & Payment

You can book and pay for your EPC appointment on our website with a credit or debit card using Stripe (secure online payment processing software). You can book and pay by bank transfer or you can pay in cash on the day of the appointment, by booking over the phone or by email. The price of an appointment is based on the size of the property. EPCs and Floorplans will only be issued once payment has been received.

EPC Minimum Energy Rating and EPC Exemption

Current Minimum Energy Efficiency Standards (MEES) legislation requires that all rental properties have a valid EPC with a minimum energy rating of E. Any properties that are rated F or G must have improvements / changes made to raise their energy rating to at least an E before they are let. If a property has already been let and it has an F or G rating, improvements must be made immediately to raise the energy rating to at least an E. Property owners/landlords could face a fine of up to £5000 for none compliance.

The UK Government is currently reviewing the minimum rating required for rental properties as part of a consultation looking at reforming the ‘Energy Performance of Buildings’ (EPB) framework. This consultation is expected to be completed by the end of Feb 2025.

Exemptions to MEES legislation allow landlords to let properties that do not comply with the legislation, i.e. where the properties energy rating is F or G. Exemptions only apply under certain circumstances and only when registered on the PRS Exemptions Register. Visit our EPC Exemptions page to find out more.

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If you need an EPC and/or Floor Plan and you are in or around Brighton & Hove, get in touch today.