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Different EPCs
If A premises is being offered for sale or rent it needs an EPC. There are different types of EPC:
1. DOMESTIC EPC - houses and flats built before April 2006 that are either being sold or put up for rent.
2. COMMERCIAL EPC - commercial premises.
3. ON CONSTRUCTION EPC - Homes built after April 2006. This category includes all homes built or BEING built after that date.
The EPC
An EPC is compiled after an inspection of the premises by a qualified Energy Assessor or Home Inspector. The Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) is similar to the certificates produced with many domestic appliances such as refrigerators. It provides a rating for energy efficiency and the environmental impact.
Energy Efficiency Rating
EPCs provide information about how energy efficient a property is on a scale of A-G. The rating is not affected by living habits of the occupying household or heating patterns. The average energy rating for a dwelling in England and Wales has a rating of 46/100 (Band E).
Environmental Impact Rating
The EPCs also provide information about the impact a property has on the environment in relation to Carbon Dioxide (CO2) emissions. Again this is on a scale of A-G with homes in band A having less CO2 emissions than band G and thus less impact on the environment.
Recommendations
In addition, the Energy Performance Certificate will indicate what actions could be taken to improve the energy efficiency rating with an indication of possible annual savings on fuel bills. The recommendations will allow buyers and sellers to make informed and costed decisions about what improvements to make.
The Inspection
The inspection will take on average just under an hour. It is an inspection focusing on:
Age of Property
Construction of walls and floors
Size and volume
Insulation of walls, floor and roof
Fuels used for heating and hot water
Heating Systems
Hot Water Systems
Windows and doble/single glazing and age of double glazing
Fixed Lighting normal or low energy
The Assessor will need access to the loft hatch but can provide a ladder if necessary. Any documents the seller possesses relating to extensions, replacement windows, cavity wall fill etc will be very useful.Each and every assessment is fully documented with plans, photographs, calculations, reports and lodged securely on line.
The Result
This information is fed into the approved software programme which produces the EPC and recommendation report. It is also recorded onto a national register. The certificate is then ready to be made available to prospective buyers or tenants.
An EPC can be printed on paper and posted to the property owner, but is most usually sent as a computer file attached to an email. This file will be kept with the accreditation agency, with the surveyor and with the property owner or his agent. All data is also backed up to a secure data vault off-site.
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