What is an Energy Performance Certificate?

The EPC is required by law when a building is constructed, sold or put up for rent.

Landlords
If you are a landlord, you’ll need to make an EPC available to prospective tenants the first time you let a home after 4 January 2009. An EPC is only required for a property which is self-contained, and is valid for 10 years.
An EPC isn’t required when a tenant rents a room and shares facilities.

Tenants
If you are interested in renting a property then an EPC must be made available to you free of charge. An EPC is only required for a property which is self-contained, and is valid for 10 years.
If you are a prospective tenant, an EPC isn’t required when you rent a room and share facilities.

Sellers or buyers of homes

All sellers of homes need to ensure that they provide a Home Information Pack which includes an EPC for potential buyers.
An EPC must be made available to a potential homebuyer – free of charge.

The Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) gives home owners, tenants and buyers information on the energy efficiency of their property. It gives the building a standard energy and carbon emission efficiency grade from ‘A’ to ‘G’, where ‘A’ is the most efficient and with the average to date being D.

The ratings are similar to those found on products such as fridges and are standard so the energy efficiency of one building can easily be compared with another building of a similar type.
For homes, two ratings are shown.

The energy-efficiency rating is a measure of a home's overall efficiency. The higher the rating, the more energy-efficient the home is, and the lower the fuel bills are likely to be.

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.
Each rating is based on the performance of the building itself and its services (such as heating and lighting), rather than the domestic appliances within it. This is known as an asset rating. The certificate also lists the potential rating of the building if all the cost-effective measures were installed.

The ratings will vary according to the age, location, size and condition of the building. The potential rating on the certificate will take these factors into account, and the suggested measures will be tailored so that they are realistic for the particular building.

The certificate also includes a recommendation report, providing information about ways to improve the energy performance of the property. Recommendations include cost effective improvements and further improvements (that achieve higher standards but are not necessarily cost effective). For each improvement the level of cost, typical cost savings per year and the performance rating after improvement are listed. The potential rating shown on the certificate is based on all the cost effective recommendations being implemented.