Energy Performance Certificates (EPC)

Retford Property Services Ltd can provide Energy Performance Certificates (EPC) for domestic and commercial properties in the Retford and Local area.

Retford Property Services Ltd pride ourselves on providing a fast, efficient and friendly service at a competitive price.

Our dedicated team are always on hand to deal with any queries you may have. We are fully aware that not everyone is available between the hours of 9am- 5pm, and so we arrange visits for evenings and weekends to suit you.

The Energy surveys are performed by qualified domestic energy assessors for flats / house and non-domestic energy assessors for commercial properties, who are registered with Stroma and Elmhurst accreditation bodies.

What is an EPC?

An EPC looks similar to the EU energy labels you see on electrical appliances, such as fridges and dish washers.

EPC’s are a list of statistics about the energy efficiency of your home / property / business. They also have recommendations on where you could make improvements.

EPC’s carry rating on energy use and carbon dioxide emissions. Two readings are given – one states the level of efficiency that your property is currently achieving, the other suggests what level of efficiency your home could be achieving if you were to put energy efficiency measures in place.

How is a EPC completed?

The Assessor will visit the property and examine key items within the property such as loft insulation, light fittings, boiler, hot water tank, radiators, windows / glazing and measurements of the property will be taken. Once this information has been obtained it is then entered onto the software programme, which carries out calculations to establish the energy efficiency and CO2 emissions of the property.
Our locally based assessors will take around 30-45 minutes to survey an average 3-4 bed property. We will provide you with an email copy of the EPC once it has been processed. Our turnaround time is usually less than 2 working days from the assessment visit.

The software programme proceeds to generate the level of energy efficiency of the property, with a recommendations report on the ways to improve the energy ratings by using cost effective and low and zone carbon generated systems. This will help improve your energy levels and ensure future savings on fuel costs.

Tips to improve your EPC rating.

Make sure as many of you light fixtures have low energy lamps fitted.

If you have a hot water tank, make sure there is plenty of insulation around it. Good insulation can make a significant difference to the rating.

If we cannot see the loft is insulated because we cannot gain loft access or because the loft is boarded over please have any paperwork available to prove loft insulation fitted.

If you have any cavity wall / internal/ external wall insulation which is not visible due to rendering etc make sure you have the paperwork available.

If your double glazing was fitted after 2002 and the date is not visible in the units, please have the paperwork available to show the assessor the installation date.

We try to establish the exact make and model of the heating boiler, and where this is possible, the exact efficiency of the boiler can be established. This is likely to be higher than the software default setting for the type of boiler. Establishing the boilers details from visual inspection can be difficult, so please have any information manuals or service history available.

Which buildings need an EPC?

Almost all homes need and EPC, but that technical definition is that a building requires an EPC if it uses heating or air-conditioning. By definition, it uses energy to ‘condition an indoor climate’ i.e. between a roof and walls.

Every part of a building, or extension to a building that uses its own internal heating system will need an EPC.

An EPC is required by law when a building is constructed, sold or put up for rent. If you are a landlord or homeowner and need to provide an EPC.

If you’re planning to sell or rent out a home in the UK, you have to have an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC). EPCs give prospective buyers or tenants some indication of how energy efficient a property is, and the certificates are required by law.

EPCs last for 10 years.

When you’ll be given an EPC

By law you should receive an EPC in the following cases:

When you are considering buying a home, you should be provided with an EPC, free of charge. This applies to new homes and existing stock.

If you are considering renting a property, you should get an EPC from the landlord, free of charge. That said, you don’t need an EPC when you are thinking of just renting a room with shared facilities rather than renting the whole property.

In all cases the intention is to allow you to compare the energy efficiency and costs associated with the property.

Do you have business premises?

Owners of all commercial buildings also have to provide an EPC when they sell or let commercial premises.

Example: 

There is also a numerical rating from 1 – 100. The bigger the number the more energy efficient the home is and the lower the fuel bills will be. The environmental impact rating is colour-coded from blue to grey, signifying ‘very environmentally friendly – lower CO2 emissions’ at the blue end of the scale through to ‘not environmentally friendly – higher CO2 emissions’ at the grey end. Again, there is a numerical rating, from 1 – 100, and the bigger the number, the less impact the house has on the environment.

Estimated fuel costs

The EPC assessor uses standardised assumptions about the home’s occupancy, heating patterns and geographical location to construct a table that indicates how much it will cost to provide lighting, heating and hot water to this dwelling. This table sets out the current energy use alongside the potential use if a range of recommendations are followed. The same is done for carbon dioxide emissions.

I’m installing solar panels – do I need an Energy Performance Certificate?

From the 1st April 2012, you’ll also need an EPC of band D or higher if you want to have solar panels installed in your home and receive the standard rate from the Feed-in Tariff.

If your property is below band D when you first apply for the Feed-in Tariff you will receive a lower rate, which will remain even if you improve your home’s energy performance at a later date.

As the Feed-in Tariff rate is a crucial component in assessing the earning potential of your solar panels it is also crucial to have your home assessed first. Should you have a lower rating it may make more financial sense to improve your home in other ways first, such as installing insulation.