Energy Performance Certificates

The Government’s implementation of the EU Energy Performance of Buildings (Certificates and Inspections) Regulations 2007 requires social Landlords to provide Energy Performance Certificates (EPCs) from October 2008.

This means that from the 1st October 2008, an EPC will be required whenever a property in the social housing sector is rented to a new tenant. Landlords will be required to provide an EPC to all prospective tenants so that they are aware of the energy performance of a property, and provide a copy to the resident that takes over the tenancy.

An EPC will also be required for non-marketed sales, for example through ‘right to buy’ or leasehold purchases.  

How is an EPC produced?

An accredited Energy Assessor will visit the property to undertake an assessment and collect relevant data, including the date, construction and location of the property and relevant fittings e.g. heating systems, insulation or double glazing.

The Energy Assessor will input the data onto an accredited EPC portal which produces the EPC and lodges the EPC with the central government database, Landmark.

The EPC confirms the energy performance of a property, which is illustrated through two ratings:

• The energy efficiency rating – which measures a property’s overall efficiency.
• The environmental impact rating - which measures the impact of the property on the environment in terms of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions.

Each rating is measured on a scale of A-G; ‘A’ being the most efficient. Each rating also includes a ‘current’ and ‘potential’ performance score, which identifies the possible improvement that could be achieved if recommendations are implemented.

Recommendations Report

The EPC is accompanied by a Recommendation Report highlighting ways the energy performance of the property could be improved, which will help reduce fuel bills, cut carbon emissions and make the property more attractive to potential tenants or purchasers. However Landlords are under no obligation to act on the recommendations. 

How PH Jones can help you

PH Jones provides EPCs through over 100 Domestic Energy Assessors (DEAs). The DEAs are all accredited to Northgate and orders are scheduled electronically, and sent via handheld PDAs. The data from the properties is collated through the use of a digital pen which is lodged the same day through the Northgate EPC portal onto the Landmark database. EPCs can be provided electronically or hard copy and we can abstract key data in order to provide statistical stock conditioning reporting.  We can provide EPCs as part of a planned  programme or in respect of ad-hoc orders i.e. voids, and our service includes energy consultancy.

For further information about how PH Jones can help you with your EPC requirements, please contact Jenny Neville.