Domestic EPC Information

In the many years our alliance of assessors have been providing Domestic EPC's we have accumulated a vast knowledge bank. In the following pages we have distilled the information into a series of brief insights. Whilst we have endeavoured to make this a comprehensive resource for Domestic EPC's there's no better way of getting the answer you need than by using the link on the right, just - ENTER YOUR POSTCODE - ENTER YOUR TYPE OF EPC. You will get the details of your knowledgeable, local EPC Assessor or Surveyor who will be only too happy to help.

For details of our brief Domestic EPC FAQ's just scroll down to see if they can help

A Domestic EPC is intended to provide prospective buyers and tenants of a building with correct information about the energy performance of the building and practical advice on improving such performance.

A Domestic EPC provides an energy efficiency rating (related to running costs) for a building based on the performance potential of the building itself (the fabric) and its services (such as heating, insulation ventilation and fuels used). Not all buildings are used in the same way, so the energy rating uses 'standard occupancy' assumptions which may be different from the way the building is used.

A Domestic EPC includes recommendations on how the energy performance of the building can be improved (to reduce running costs) together with an indication of the payback period. There is no statutory requirement to carry out any of the recommended energy efficiency measures stated.

A DOMESTIC EPC is valid for 10 years and can be reused as many times as required within that period.

The regulations require a DOMESTIC EPC to be commissioned, if there is no valid DOMESTIC EPC for that building, before a building is put on the market.

Before marketing a building for sale or rent a person acting on behalf of the seller or landlord (for example, the estate or letting agent) must be satisfied that a DOMESTIC EPC has been commissioned for that building.

A DOMESTIC EPC must be produced by an accredited energy assessor who is a member of a government approved accreditation scheme.

All advertisements in the commercial media must clearly show the energy rating of the building (where this is available).

The regulations require a DOMESTIC EPC to be given free of charge to the person who becomes the buyer or tenant of the building.

A DOMESTIC EPC shows the energy efficiency rating on an A–G rating scale for a building

The DOMESTIC EPC includes recommendations on how to improve energy efficiency.

Any reference to a building includes a reference to a building unit in that building, except where otherwise stated.

Existing buildings need a Domestic EPC when they are to be sold or rented out.

A Domestic EPC is valid for 10 years or until a newer EPC is produced for the same building no matter how many times the property is sold or rented out during that period. Existing occupiers and tenants will not require A Domestic EPC unless they sell, assign or sublet their interest in a building.

A building offered for sale or rent, must include the energy performance indicator of the building as shown on the EPC, for example C, in any advertisements in the commercial media*. There is no requirement to display the full EPC.

Commercial media includes: newspapers and magazines; written material produced by the seller/landlord/estate or letting agent that describes the building being offered for sale or rent, the internet.

A Domestic EPC is generally not required where the seller or landlord can demonstrate that the building is any of these:

buildings protected as part of a designated environment or because of their special architectural or historical merit are exempt from the requirements to have an energy performance certificate insofar as compliance with minimum energy performance requirements would unacceptably alter their character or appearance.

PLEASE NOTE THAT THIS SITUATION IS FURTHER COMPLICATED BY MEES REGULATIONS PLEASE CALL TO DISCUSS YOUR SITUATION

To comply with minimum energy performance requirements, many of the recommendations in a Domestic EPC report e.g. double glazing, new doors and windows, external wall insulation, and external boiler flues would likely result in unacceptable alterations in the majority of historic buildings. These can include buildings protected as part of a designated environment or because of their special architectural or historical merit (e.g. listed buildings2 or buildings within a conservation area). In these cases a Domestic EPC would not be required.

Building owners will need to take a view as to whether this will be the case for their buildings. If there is any doubt as to whether works would unacceptably alter the character or appearance of a building, building owners may wish to seek the advice of their local authority’s conservation officer.

temporary buildings with a planned time of use of two years or less
residential buildings which are intended to be used less than four months of the year or where the owner or landlord could reasonably expect the energy consumption of the building to be less than 25% of all year round use
stand-alone buildings with a total useful floor area of less than 50m² (i.e. buildings entirely detached from any other building)

A building is also exempt where the seller or landlord can demonstrate that:

the building is suitable for demolition
the resulting site is suitable for redevelopment
all the relevant planning permissions, listed building consents and conservation area consents exist in relation to the demolition, and
in relation to the redevelopment, either outline planning or planning permission exists and where relevant listed building consents exist

Holiday lets may not need a Domestic EPC. A Domestic EPC will only be required for a property rented out as a furnished holiday let, as defined by HMRC, where the building is occupied for the purposes of a holiday as a result of a short term letting arrangement of less than 31 days to each tenant, and is rented out for a combined total of four months or more in any 12 month period, and if the occupier is responsible for meeting the energy costs for the property.

The property must meet all the conditions of a furnished holiday let as defined by HMRC and the occupant must not be responsible for the energy costs in order for A Domestic EPC not to be necessary.

A Domestic EPC is not required for an individual room when rented out, as it is not a building or a building unit designed or altered for separate use. The whole building will require a Domestic EPC if sold or rented out.

There are no other exemptions from the EPC obligations although there may be some transactions which do not qualify as a sale or renting out.

AS EPC EXEMPTIONS ARE A HIGHLY COMPLEX AREA PLEASE CONTACT YOUR LOCAL EPC MAN TO DISCUSS YOUR SPECIFIC SITUATION

In general terms the Domestic EPC provided or made available should reflect the accommodation being sold or rented out. Some buildings will have multiple tenancies, differing lease agreements, various sub-letting arrangements and different uses (for example, a mixed use building containing office space and residential accommodation). This can affect the areas for which an EPC is needed. Any building unit which is sold or rented out must have a valid EPC.

A Domestic EPC can be produced for the whole building or any building unit, which is designed or altered for separate use. A building unit designed or altered for separate use could be indicated by the accommodation having its own access, separate provision of heating and ventilation or shared heating and ventilation, but with the ability by the occupier to independently control those services. An example might be a self-contained flat in a building.

YOU SHOULD CONTACT YOUR LOCAL EPC MAN TO DISCUSS YOUR SPECIFIC SITUATION

Before a building is put on the market the seller or landlord must commission a Domestic EPC for the building if no valid EPC exists already for it. A person acting on behalf of the seller or landlord (for example, the estate or letting agent) must be satisfied that a Domestic EPC has been commissioned for the building before it is put on the market.

The seller or landlord or a person acting on their behalf must use all reasonable efforts to ensure the Domestic EPC is obtained within seven days. A further 21 days is allowed if after using all reasonable efforts the Domestic EPC cannot be obtained within seven days.

An estate or letting agent may on occasions provide a prospective buyer or tenant with a copy of the Domestic EPC. However, it remains the responsibility of the seller or landlord to make sure that a valid EPC has been given free of charge to the person who ultimately becomes the buyer or seller.

The energy performance indicator of the building as shown on the Domestic EPC, for example, C, must be stated in any advertisements in the commercial media. Failure to do so could result in a fine of £200 per advertisement.

YOU SHOULD CONTACT YOUR LOCAL EPC MAN TO DISCUSS YOUR SPECIFIC SITUATION

When existing buildings are sold or rented out, the seller or landlord must make available a Domestic EPC at the earliest opportunity and no later than when a person:

requests information about the building, the time at which the seller or landlord first makes available any information in writing about the building, or
makes a request to view the building, the time at which the person views the building.

And must give, free of charge, a valid Domestic EPC to the person who ultimately becomes the buyer or tenant.

Transactions not considered a sale or rent

Domestic EPCs are required in all instances of sales or rent, except those set out in page 6 (Situations where a Domestic EPC is not required). However, not all transactions are considered to be a sale or let. These will include:

lease renewals or extensions
compulsory purchase orders
sales of shares in a company, where buildings remain in company ownership
lease surrenders

There may be other types of transaction that it might be argued do not require a Domestic EPC, for example, living accommodation at a workplace and tied to a job or not-for-value transactions, but this will depend on the individual circumstances of each case.

You should contact LOCAL EPC MAN for advice regarding whether any specific activity is or is not sale or rent.

The Domestic EPC looks broadly similar to the energy labels provided on many household appliances. Its purpose is to indicate how energy efficient a building is. The Domestic EPC will provide an energy efficiency rating from A to G, where A is very efficient and G is the least efficient. The better the rating, the more energy efficient the building is, and the lower the fuel bills are likely to be.

Each energy efficiency rating is based on the characteristics of the building itself (the fabric) and its services (such as heating, ventilation and lighting). This type of rating is known as an asset rating. The asset rating will reflect the age and condition of the building.

The Domestic EPC includes recommendations to help owners and occupiers to improve the energy efficiency of a building. The recommendations include cost effective improvements and further improvements (that achieve higher standards but are not necessarily cost effective). For each recommendation the indicative cost, typical cost savings and the performance rating after improvement are listed. The potential rating shown on the EPC is based on all cost-effective recommendations being implemented.

The Domestic EPC will assess the energy efficiency of services which are present in the building. It will not comment on the safety aspects or maintenance of the services nor will the assessment confirm that the installed system is fit for purpose.

What a DomesticEPC contains

The regulations state the minimum information that a Domestic EPC must contain, including:

The asset rating for the building;
A reference value (benchmark);
A recommendation report, unless there is no reasonable potential for energy performance improvements;
The relevant reference number;
The address of the building;
An estimate of the building’s total useful floor area; and,
The date on which it was issued.

YOU SHOULD CONTACT YOUR LOCAL EPC MAN TO DISCUSS YOUR SPECIFIC SITUATION

The energy rating of a building is a complex calculation which is based on a combination of factors:

the type of building (i.e. flat, house or bungalow) and whether it is detached or not
the age of the building
the number of habitable rooms (excluding kitchens, bathroom hallways, stairs and landings)
extensions and their construction and rooms in the roof
the dimensions of the building and the number of floors
the amount and type of glazing (i.e. single or double glazing)
the material used to build the property (e.g. brick, stone, timber frame, etc.)
wall insulation
roof construction (e.g. flat, pitched) and insulation
the number of chimneys and open flues
the heating systems and the type of fuel used

The energy rating is adjusted for the floor area of a building so it is independent of size for a given type of building. The rating is calculated on the basis of standard occupancy to ensure that the results are consistent for similar building types and relate to the physical fabric of the building rather than the energy usage patterns of the individual occupant, which can vary appreciably between households.

The rating is independent of the number of people living in your household, how many domestic appliances you own (such as washing machines and refrigerators) and how efficient they are and how you choose to heat your home (i.e. individual temperature settings and how long it is heated during the day or night). This allows prospective buyers or tenants to compare the energy rating of buildings on a like for like basis.

For existing buildings, the energy assessor must undertake a physical survey of the building to gather the appropriate information. For new buildings, the energy assessor will have accurate plans, specifications and other relevant information and a site visit is not required.

During the visit the energy assessor will need to access all the rooms, the boiler and the loft (if there is safe access). The assessor may take photographs of items, such as heaters and meters, and may take photographs of any unusual features in the building. The energy assessor may also photograph any area that cannot be accessed or visually inspected (for example, a fully boarded loft).

A visual inspection may not be possible for all features (for example, cavity wall or under floor insulation) and without supporting information and evidence, such as receipts, the energy assessor will not be able to include that feature in the EPC.

If access to inspect parts of the building is not possible, (for example, safe access to the loft to determine if it has been insulated), an assumption will be made about those features based on the age of the building. Energy assessors are not required to take unnecessary risks when undertaking an energy assessment.

Collecting the information required for an EPC

The energy assessor will need know about how the home has been built. Finding supporting information before the energy assessor visits will ensure you get the most accurate energy efficiency rating for your building. If you have up to date information this process will be less time consuming. The energy assessor is responsible for ensuring the information used in the energy calculations is accurate and, even where detailed plans are available for existing buildings, must validate the information provided.

The assessor will need to know:

when the building was built (searches or deeds may provide evidence)
whether or not the building has been extended and when
if it has been double glazed, any certificates that may be available
whether the walls have been insulated and if so whether this is cavity, internal or external insulation
when boilers and hot water cylinders were installed and their make and model (any manuals may provide evidence)
the location of room thermostats and heating timers
the location of gas and electricity meters
the type of heating fuel you use and the types of heating you use for your rooms

Once the assessment is completed the data is fed into a government approved software programme. The software will produce the EPC and recommendations using the data collected.

- Why is a Domestic EPC required?

- Why is a Domestic EPC required - Key Points

- Which buildings require Domestic EPCs?

- Situations where a Domestic EPC is not required

- Production of Domestic EPC's

- Providing a Domestic EPC on marketing

- Providing a Domestic EPC on sale or rent

- What is a Domestic EPC and what does it mean?

- How does the Domestic EPC calculate the energy performance of a building?

- What does a Domestic energy assessment involve

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