Energy Performance Certificates (EPCs) are needed whenever a property is:
• built
• sold
• rented

An EPC contains:
• information about a property’s energy use and typical energy costs
• recommendations about how to reduce energy use and save money

An EPC gives a property an energy efficiency rating from A (most efficient) to G (least efficient) and is valid for 10 years.

Most of the properties we offer for rent or are already occupied have a reasonable efficient rating. A copy of the EPC will be provided at the viewing.

Features that improve the efficiency
• Double Glazing
• Efficient heating and hot water systems
• Insulated walls

The EPC rates a building’s performance in terms of:
• Energy use per square metre of floor area,
• Energy efficiency based on fuel costs
• Environmental impact based on carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions

This provides an energy efficiency rating and an environmental impact (CO2) rating. There are seven bands for both of these ratings, from A to G.

The energy efficiency rating is colour-coded from green to red, with the green end of the scale indicating that the home is very energy efficient, with lower running costs, and the red end of the scale indicating it is not energy efficient and has higher running costs.

There is also a numerical rating from 1 – 100. The bigger the number the more energy efficient the home is and the lower the fuel bills will be.

The environmental impact rating is colour-coded from blue to grey, signifying ‘very environmentally friendly – lower CO2 emissions’ at the blue end of the scale through to ‘not environmentally friendly – higher CO2 emissions’ at the grey end.
Again, there is a numerical rating, from 1 – 100, and the bigger the number, the less impact the house has on the environment.

For a full example of an energy performance certificate, visit the DirectGov website or click here.