Energy Performance Certificates (EPC) – A legal requirement

Since 01/10/2008, all landlords have been required by law to provide an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) to the new tenant when letting a property. This only applies to new lettings and does not apply to properties which were already let before this date and for which a current letting contract exists. If at the end of this contract the property/dwelling is re-let, a new EPC must be provided. The EPC provides details about the energy efficiency of the building and/or dwelling.       From 6 April 2008, all homes built and physically completed on or after this date, will need to have an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) provided on completion of construction.       If you are a landlord, you’ll need to make an EPC available to prospective tenants the first time you let a property/home after 1 October 2008. An EPC is only required for a property which is self-contained. It is valid   for 10 years.

The EPC contains the following sections:

Energy-efficiency rating
The energy-efficiency rating is a measure of a home's overall efficiency. The higher the rating, the more

energy-efficient the home is, and the lower the fuel bills are likely to be.

Environmental impact
The environmental impact rating is a measure of a home's impact on the environment in terms of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions - the higher the rating, the less impact it has on the environment.

Reference information
This includes the type of property (e.g. house, flat), the unique reference number (as stored in the central register) and date of the certificate.

Estimated energy use
This is based on standardised assumptions about occupancy and heating patterns. An estimate of the current and potential energy use, carbon emissions and fuel costs for lighting, heating and hot water is provided.  The actual energy use depends on the behaviour of the occupants.

Energy Assessor details
This includes the assessor's name, accreditation number, company name (or trading name if self employed) and contact details.

Complaints
The certificate will provide information about how to complain or how to check the certificate is authentic.

Energy advice
The certificate provides basic advice about energy efficient behaviour

Example of an Energy Performance Certificate (PDF)

The EPC only shows a general consumption level based on an estimate. A more comprehensive survey will show

more detail. Therefore care should be taken when reviewing an EPC. The estimated energy usage is exactly that!

It is based upon standardised assumptions about occupancy and heating patterns and may deviate from the

actual energy usage behaviour of the current occupants. The occupant may not make any claim for damages

against the assessor if the true level of energy consumption exceeds the level stated in the certificate.

However, it is still useful as prospective tenants can still gain a good impression of whether a property has a

poor or good level of energy efficiency.