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EPC

EPC

Commercial Property Fact Sheet 

Residential Fact Sheet

Energy Performance Certificates

All domestic and commercial buildings in the UK available to buy or rent must have an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC). If you own a home, getting an energy performance survey done could help you identify ways to save money on your energy bills and improve the comfort of your home.

What are EPCs?

Much like the multi-coloured sticker on new appliances, EPCs tell you how energy efficient a building is and give it a rating from A (very efficient) to G (inefficient). EPCs let the person who will use the building know how costly it will be to heat and light, and what its carbon dioxide emissions are likely to be.

The EPC will also state what the energy-efficiency rating could be if improvements are made, and highlights cost-effective ways to achieve a better rating. Even if you rent your home, some improvements noted on the EPC may be worth implementing, such as switching to more energy-efficient light bulbs.

EPCs are valid for 10 years from when issued.

Why get an EPC?

Your property's EPC needs to be available to potential buyers as soon as you start to market your property for sale or rent. You must get an approved Energy Assessor to produce the EPC.

If you implement any of the energy efficiency recommendations outlined in your EPC, you may wish to get a fresh EPC done to include these improvements.

Residential Property

The requirement for a Domestic Energy Performance Certificate

It is a requirement under the EU Directive on the Energy Performance of Buildings (EPBD) to make an EPC available whenever a building is being constructed, rented or sold.  The main aim of the EPC is to bring about market differentiation on the basis of energy performance.

The EPC is part of a series of measures that have been introduced across Europe to reflect legislation which will help cut buildings’ carbon emissions and tackle climate change.   The certificate provides 'A' to 'G' ratings for the building, with 'A' being the most energy efficient and 'G' being the least, with the average up to now being 'D'.

The EPC is a comprehensive report and will provide a summary of results for your property, in relation to the construction, heating and hot water.  EPC reports also include recommendations for cost-effective improvements to the building, and the potential energy efficiency of the property if the measures are implemented will be given.

If properties do not have an EPC where required, penalty costs of up to £200 per property per day can be incurred.

All EPCs are carried out by an accredited and qualified Domestic Energy Assessor who will assess several aspects of the property, which includes details of its dimensions, construction and heating/hot water systems.  This information is fed into an approved software programme which produces the EPC and recommendation report. The assessor will then record the certificate onto the national register and provide the customer with a copy. The certificate is then ready to be made available to prospective buyers or tenants. 

Commercial Property

Why You Need A Commercial EPC?

Commercial EPCs are prepared based on the level (three to five) required determined by the type of building; level three is defined as a small building with heating systems of less than 100kW and cooling systems less than 12kW, level four is a purpose built building with heating systems larger than 100kW and cooling systems larger than 12kW, a level five building will have similar heating and cooling systems as a level four building but a more complex design and shape.

Commercial or Non-domestic EPC’s are required for the sale of a property, the granting of a new lease or assignment of an existing lease.  This also includes:

Sales by Liquidators & Receivers

Inter-company transfers

Sales and Leasebacks

Commercial EPCs are valid for 10 years, although where improvements have been made to the property the EPC should be updated to reflect the new improved energy efficiency of the property.

The commercial EPC will provide the energy rating of the building, enabling the purchaser or tenant to make an informed decision as to the energy efficiency of their investment.

The EPC has to be made available at the earliest opportunity and no later than the earliest of:

The Energy Performance Certificate provides the owner of a property and the potential buyer with an energy efficiency rating. This allows the purchaser to make an informed decision on the carbon consumption of their investment and how they can make any potential savings on their energy costs.

Where commercial property has self contained residential accommodation such as shops with self-contained flats above then there is a requirement to obtain both a Commercial and a Domestic EPC.   The Domestic EPC can be included in our quotation and completed at the same time as the Commercial EPC.

Only qualified and accredited Non-domestic Energy Assessors can provide Commercial EPCs.  Our Non-Domestic Energy Assessors are accredited by Elmhurst Energy.

In order to provide you with the best quotation it would be useful if you have the following information to hand:

Full address including postcode

Approximate age of building

General description of building

Details of Heating, Ventilation & Air Conditioning

Number of floors

Approximate size

Approximate number of rooms

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