ENERGY PERFORMANCE CERTIFICATES FOR DOMESTIC PROPERTIES

From October 2008, all buildings in the UK that are constructed, sold or rented out will have to have an Energy Performance Certificate.

Whether you need an EPC on a property in your local area, or the other side of the country, we can swiftly arrange for it to be carried out by a local surveyor. Landlords with higher volumes of work are also eligible for reduced pricing.

An Energy Performance Certificate provides an official energy rating for a property. It shows its energy efficiency and its environmental impact on a scale from A-G (where A is the most efficient and G the least efficient). The EPC has a rating of 1 to 100 with a brand new property around 80 the average UK property is around 45.This graph will give potential purchasers or tenants a direct comparison between the heating and lighting costs along with the carbon emissions of every property they view.

The EPC can only be produced by a licensed energy assessor; it is non-invasive and will take no longer than an hour. The survey takes into consideration the following points.

• Type of heating system and fuel
• Domestic water heating and storage system
• Age of the building
• Loft and Cavity wall insulation
• Windows, as in double or single glazing, and age of installation
• Lighting

The EPC will also include a list of potential improvements that could be carried out, with potential savings that could be made. These improvements range from simple low cost measures like changing light bulbs to more elaborate measures, for example, upgrading the heating system or the installation of solar panels etc. .