Hire an EPC assessor

When hiring a local EPC inspector, check that they have the correct qualifications to assess your property type:

• Domestic (residential property).
• Non-domestic (commercial property).
• New build.
• Display Energy Certificate (public buildings).

When you find an assessor, check that they're part of an accredited scheme. This is to ensure that they're a legitimate energy assessor with valid and up-to-date qualifications.

It’s a common misconception that the EPC fee is fixed. We highly recommend that you get multiple quotes from local EPC providers to ensure you pay the best price possible.

You can search for an EPC provider near you using Myjobquote, receive free quotes and select a local provider who is perfect for the job. Once you’re happy with your choice and the quote offered, they can get to work on your EPC straight away. Using Myjobquote is an effortless way of discovering an EPC provider near with a price within your budget.

You may find that you need other specialist tradesman to assist in your house sale. As well as an EPC provider you may need to hire local conveyancers to assist with the finalisation of the sale. It is also common that you would need to hire a local surveyor to complete surveys on your property.

What is an EPC?

An EPC (Energy Performance Certificate) is utilised to deliver prospective buyers or tenants with all the property's energy information, including costs, usage, how to reduce energy consumption and increase efficiency.

It's required by law (since 2008) that property landlords and sellers are responsible for arranging an EPC for buyer & tenants. If not, they can be fined £200. Once they're issued, they're valid for ten years and can only be provided by an accredited domestic energy assessor. You can search for a local EPC provider using the EPC register.

What Does Getting an EPC Certificate Involve?

An EPC inspector will arrive at your property and take about an hour looking around the property and inspect your insulation, appliances and other energy-efficiency systems. They'll require entry to every room and the loft. Expect them to take photographs, measurements and any vital data, it's non-invasive, and only a visual check is needed.

Once the EPC inspector has accessed your property and left, the certificate should be ready in a few days and become available on the national database. You can now, legally, rent or sell your property.

Cost of an EPC

The average cost of an EPC is between £60-£100 as there's no set price, so it'll be worth getting various quotes from several energy assessors. Some energy assessors offer cheap EPCs as low as £30, but always make sure you understand the conditions.

How much you end up paying depends on:

• Size of your property.
• Type of building (flat, bungalow, etc.).
• Location of your property.

You can book an EPC through an estate agent for convenience, and negotiate a price with them. This can be a quicker and easier option, but it may turn out that you pay a higher price than if you book one yourself.

Who Does My EPC?

If you require an EPC, you'll need to hire an energy assessor to carry out the assessment. They're accredited and approved by the local authorities and the ministry for housing. They are an essential part of helping property buyers and sellers, tenants and landlords to become more energy-efficient and aware.

Depending on what type of property needs an EPC, you may need to hire a specific assessor that has undergone the correct qualifications:

• Domestic (residential property).
• Non-domestic (commercial property).
• New build.
• Display Energy Certificate (public buildings).

All legitimate assessors will be a member of an accrediting body and will be able to show you evidence of this accreditation.

Do I Need an EPC?

It's a legal necessity to have an up-to-date Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) when a property is built, sold or rented. This is so the certificate is available for potential buyers and renters to view the energy efficiency of a property, fuel costs, possible savings and greener solutions. The EPC must be accessible:

• When viewings are conducted.
• No later than 28 days after the property has been up for sale.
• When information is requested by a potential tenant or buyer.

If you don't comply with this law, you can receive a fine of up to £200 if it's a domestic property and up to £5,000 if it's a non-domestic property.

There are a few exceptions where you don't need an EPC supplied, for example:

• Listed property that can't be modified to become more energy efficient.
• A rented room within a house.
• Property with less than 50 square metres of functional floor space.
• Property that'll be used for under two years.
• Industrial sites.
• Residential or holiday property that's used for less than four months.
• Demolished buildings.
• Religious buildings (places of worships).

What Does An EPC Tell me?

An Energy Performance Certificate will offer an environmental impact rating and an energy efficiency rating. It'll also detail estimated energy costs and carbon dioxide emissions. A significant part of the EPC is the recommendations, where you can find what property improvements will make it more energy-efficient.

The EPC is split into four pages:

First Page

Page one will give you an approximation of the current AND the possible energy bills of the property. This information is valuable to work out how much a new property will cost to run and how much cheaper the running costs could be if the energy efficiency is amended. The EPC only includes costs for heating, lighting and hot water, not for any other appliances.

Next, you'll see a table with the property's current energy efficiency rating, which range from A-G, A being the most efficient. The potential rating will also be presented with what home improvements you'll need to complete to reach it.

Second Page

On page two, you'll find a comprehensive summary of each section of your building, including:

• Lighting.
• Hot water.
• Main heating.
• Main heating controls.
• Secondary heating.
• Windows.
• Floor.
• Roof.
• Walls.

Each section will be given an energy rating from one to five stars (one being the worst), this is to help show how effective the construction of each section is, and if it needs improving.

The next part of page two will highlight and list any low or zero carbon energy technology within the property, such as solar panels. The final part of this page is titled 'Your home's heat demand' and examines at how much heat is used to warm the property, and how you could reduce the amount by upgrading insulation.

Third Page

This is one of the most significant sections of the entire EPC – the recommendations! Here, you'll get a thorough analysis of all any recommended actions, their costs, savings, and how it could help increase the property's energy efficiency rating. They're also shown in order of which is more important to least important.

Next, you'll find the alternative measures section. This will list anything that can help increase the energy efficiency of the property. There's not as much detail as the recommendations, but give you something to look in to.

Fourth Page

The final page starts with the basic information, date of the inspection, the assessor's name, contact details and accrediting body. It then finishes by sharing the carbon emissions from the property and compares them to the country's average. A scale is also illustrated, showing the current and potential energy efficiency ratings.

Benefits of an EPC

There are a variety of benefits to having an EPC inspection carried out:

Financial Benefits

You'll receive suggestions on how to guarantee instant energy and fuel savings, as-well-as lowering the effect of future energy price increases through considerably reducing overall energy use. It can also pinpoint maintenance and running costs and recommend how they can be decreased.

Environmental Benefits

The alternative measurements section of the EPC will highlight any renewable energy sources that can be implemented on the property, helping to create an eco-friendlier building. If any of the recommendations are applied, the property's energy efficiency rating will go up. Your property's CO2 emissions will be estimated and compared to the country's average if you're about the average, you can make various decisions on how to get the emissions down to an acceptable level.

Health & Safety Benefits

Health and safety benefit us all, by reducing your CO2 emissions it won't only help the planet, but will help the health of everyone. As the EPC focuses on lighting too, having better quality lighting installed will reduce eye strain and help the eyesight of any residents within the property. Also, any updated and more efficient heating will benefit the occupants' health and safety too.