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Energy Performance Certificates

Frequently Asked Questions - EPC's

What is an Energy Performance Certificate?

The Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) gives home owners, tenants and buyers information on the energy efficiency of a property. It gives the building a standard energy and carbon emission efficiency grade from ‘A’ to ‘G’, where ‘A’ is the best and with the average to date being D/E. In effect it is similar to the energy stickers you see on white goods such as fridges and washing machines.

Why do we need an Energy Performance Certificate?

Almost half of the UK's carbon dioxide emissions come from the energy we use every day, at home and when we travel. These carbon dioxide emissions contribute to climate change and even small improvements to the energy efficiency of our homes could result in a significant reduction in these emissions. The UK government, along with many other countries have signed up to the Kyoto agreement where they commit to achieve specific reduction targets going into the future.

How will the certificate help me?

EPCs are measured using the same calculations for all homes, so you can compare how efficient your home is by comparison to other properties on the market.

Part of the EPC is a recommendation report which will list the potential rating that your home could achieve, if you made changes. The report lists improvements that you could carry out and how this would change the energy and carbon emission rating of the property.

You can use this information to:

·     cut your fuel bills

·     improve energy performance in your home

·     help cut carbon emissions

What does the certificate look like?

The certificates and reports are highly regulated and are always produced in a standard form. The graphs produced will look like this

ECP image

There will also be a number of explanations / recommendations included in the report you will receive.

Do I have to have the certificate?

If you are a homeowner looking to sell your home, you will by law require an EPC which forms the fundamental part of the Home Information Pack (HIP), before you start marketing the property.

If you are a Landlord with a residential property, from the 1st October 2008, you will be required to provide an EPC whenever a property is let to a new tenant.

Who produces the EPC?

Only a fully qualified and accredited Domestic Energy Assessor (DEA) may produce an EPC. All DEAs are comprehensively trained to ensure consistency between EPCs, regardless of who has produced the report – essential to allow you a fair comparison if you are comparing properties.

All Surrey Energy Consultants inspectors are qualified DEAs.

How much does the certificate cost?

Like most forms of business, each firm will have their own scale of charges.

Surrey Energy Consultants aim to provide a friendly efficient local service, at a rate that is competitive with the market.

Please contact us to discuss your requirements and receive a quote.