Our homes and work places contribute vastly to the levels of Carbon Dioxide (C02) in the atmosphere. The government has, over the last few years, established a way for homes and buildings to receive an energy rating.

Many people are used to the labels on fridges and washing machines telling us how energy efficient a product is and now the same can be done with our homes.

Up until April 2008 only homes which were being bought and sold were required to have an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) which rated the efficiency of the house from A to G. However from October 1st 2008 all buildings which are built, bought, sold or rented need to have an EPC.

The EPC has two parts:

  • An efficiency rating A-G
  • Recommendations for improvement

The aim of the EPC is to ensure anyone looking to purchase or rent a home is fully informed about how well the house performs in terms of energy consumption. With continual price increases for fuel and energy, EPC’s are becoming a key factor in buyer’s decision making when considering a new home.

The government is seeking to inform everyone who is moving to a new home, what the likely consumption of energy will be, how efficiently it is used and how the property can be improved.

If a home has an A-C rating the energy efficiency will be of a good standard however there may be additional recommendations which could improve the home. For houses with a D-G rating you will find there are more energy saving and recommended improvements. It is important to consider whether investment in improving the energy rating needs to be factored into the purchase price of the home or rented accommodation.

We work with a number of accredited energy assessors who can carry out EPC’s at competitive rates – please contact us by phone or email for more information.