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Domestic EPC Information

We provide Energy Certificates for every type of building!

Who needs a Domestic EPC?

Domestic Energy Performance Certificates are a legal requirement to have in place when you sell or lease a domestic property anywhere in the UK. If your building was constructed before April 2008 it just needs a standard Domestic EPC. If it was built after this date, or is a conversion to a dwelling from a different type of building, such as a barn conversion, and the conversion date was after April 2008, then you may need a different type of survey called a SAP EPC

Domestic EPCs are also required when applying for Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI) scheme. The RHI is a government incentive scheme which pays a grant to householders who have some form of heat generating renewables technology (such as an air source heat pump or solar water heater) connected to their property.

Minimum Energy Efficiency Standards

Since the introduction of the Minimum Energy Efficiency Standards (MEES) legislation in April 2018 properties with an EPC rating of F or G cannot be let out until work has been carried out to improve the rating to at least an E. This has lead to many banks and financial institutions to now refusing to carry out sale transactions on F and G rated properties. As well as providing Domestic EPCs, we can also provide tailored advice on the most cost effective and least disruptive ways to improve your rating to at least an E with our Minimum Energy Efficiency Standards (MEES) Consultation service

Properties exempt from needing an EPC

The only domestic properties that are exempt from requiring an EPC for the purposes of sale and rental are listed buildings. This has become more complicated since the introduction of the Minimum Energy Efficiency Standards (MEES) legislation in 2018. Now any listed properties that are for rental need to either have an EPC with at least an E rating or better, or apply to be put on the MEES exemption register. To go on this register it is required that evidence is provided as to why the improvement recommendations on the EPC are not suitable for the building, and the only way to do this is by getting an EPC. As such the only domestic dwellings currently exempt from needing an EPC are listed buildings for sale. Even for these buildings, an increasing number of mortgage companies and financial institutions are refusing to carry out sale transactions unless either there is an E rated or better EPC in place, or the building is on the MEES exemption register.

What does the survey involve?

Domestic EPC surveys require a site visit from one of our qualified Domestic Energy Assessors (DEA). Surveys usually take around 20 to 30 minutes on site for a standard 3 bedroom house.

The assessor will need to draw a basic floorplan to determine the floor area of the dwelling and also take measurements of the different wall types in the property. They will also take a series of photographs and notes to enable them to process the report later at their desk.

The survey looks at the following elements:

  • How the property is constructed and insulated
  • Space heating systems
  • The water heating system
  • Ventilation
  • Lighting
  • Any renewable technologies present

It is important to note that the survey is non-invasive. The assessor will not be lifting any floorboards or drilling holes in walls. As such they will only be able to record any insulation etc. that is visible to them on the day. If your property has cavity wall insulation they will be able to identify this from the marks left behind on the brickwork after installation. For any other type of insulation that is not visible, such as under floor insulation or loft insulation where there is no loft hatch, or if the loft is boarded out with the insulation below, then they will be able to accept evidence from you in the form of an invoice from the installer. If the insulation is not visible and no documentary evidence is available then the EPC software will make an assumption about what may be present based on the construction date of the property.

On the day of the survey the assessor will need access to every room in the dwelling. They will also need to see the heating system, and look in the loft if it is accessible. It is helpful if you can have ready any documents you may have relating to any of the items included in the survey, as listed above.

Once we have completed the site visit the survey needs to be processed at the desk, This takes 1 to 2 working days.

Who will carry out the survey?

Domestic EPC surveys can only be carried out by qualified Domestic Energy Assessors (DEA). We have been a domestic EPC provider since 2007, when they first came into existence. Our large team of DEAs can carry out EPC surveys on domestic buildings of any size and complexity, anywhere in the UK and are fully supported by our office based technical team, who are highly knowledgeable on every part of the EPC process. Our years of experience in the industry and strong technical background ensures our EPCs are produced to the very highest standard and in a timely and cost effective manner.

What do I get

As soon as your EPC is ready to go we will contact you to make payment, and upon receipt of payment, we will provide access to your documents straight away. As of September 2020, EPCs are no longer provided as PDF documents and are instead a webpage on a government hosted website, so your EPC will be provided as a link. For detailed information about what is contained in the domestic EPC see our guide EPC Explained.

Minimum Energy Efficiency Standards (MEES) legislation

Since April 2018 all commercial and domestic buildings have been required to have at least an E rating on their EPC before they may be leased to tenants. Because of this legislation many banks and financial institutions are now also insisting that properties for sale must achieve this rating before they will carry out financial transactions such as mortgages or ownership changes.

If your building gets an F or G on its EPC then we offer a consultation service to help guide you on the best ways to improve the rating. To do this we re-run the calculations multiple times, testing out a combination of different energy saving measures each time to establish the most cost effective and least disruptive ways of improving your buildings rating to an E or better.

Once we have completed the consultation and the work has been carried out, the building will need to be reassessed to produce the updated EPC. As long as this is carried out within 6 months of the date on the original EPC then this revisit can be provided for a reduced fee.

How do I book?

To get a quote for a domestic EPC for your property simply give us a call on 0800 170 1201, or alternatively fill in our contact form. The basic information we need to be able to provide you with a price for the survey is:

  • Postcode
  • Number of Bedrooms

It is useful and may enable us to offer a cheaper quote if you are also able to provide the following information:

  • Floorplans
  • The full address of the property

Once we have provided you with a quote, if you wish to go ahead and book we will also need invoicing details and contact details for whoever will be meeting us on site. We don't charge up-front, but will invoice you for the work on completion, and release the EPC to you upon receipt of payment. Our pricing includes the lodgement of the EPC on the government register, so the price we quote you is the total price you will pay.

After you have booked with us we will contact you or if you prefer an alternative site contact to arrange an appointment. Once we have visited site it takes us 1 to 2 working days to produce the report, at which point we will contact you to let you know its ready and provide you with an invoice. On payment of the invoice we will provide access to your EPC documents straight away.

Our prices start from £39.95 + VAT, dependant on size and location of the property. Use this online booking tool to quickly get a quote for your domestic EPC.

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