Energy performance certificate

[Emmas85]

Hi. Has anyone had an energy performance certificate done on their property? I've read they need access to the loft but could anyone tell me what else they check please. Do I need to move furniture so they can get to radiators or plugs? Thanks

I can't answer your question exactly, but we've just had one done - it's on an empty property that we have on the market and the local estate agent organised it with their regular contact.

All I'm saying is that it cost us £45, so although somebody else can, I'm sure, give you a more comprehensive answer, I genuinely can't see them taking that much trouble over it or being especially thorough for what most trades would charge as an initial call-out charge before doing any work.

Nobody really cares about EPCs, anyway, it's mainly a box-ticking exercise, so although you might want to call ahead and ask, to put your mind at rest, the EPC surveyor isn't going to want to spend much of their own time doing it, much less yours, for that sort of money.

As an EPC rating of E or above is required to rent a property out then I can assure you people do care about EPCs. Even as a buyer I would look at the rating and the report if the rating were low to ascertain why they were low as it would indicate potential issues reagrding heating systems, insulation or ventilation.

However you shouldn't need to do anything specific to prepare for the assessor other than give them access.

How long have you owned the property
Pop your postcode into the EPC register there may already be one

As an EPC rating of E or above is required to rent a property out then I can assure you people do care about EPCs. Even as a buyer I would look at the rating and the report if the rating were low to ascertain why they were low as it would indicate potential issues reagrding heating systems, insulation or ventilation.

Fair enough, then. I suppose it's different for renting, as it's not like the tenants can make major efficiency changes themselves.

Maybe it's just me, then, but I always gathered that EPC ratings were quite common-sense - a bit like smart meters informing you that you're using much more power when you have the cooker, toaster and kettle on and somebody's in the shower at the same time. Wouldn't you notice old, draughty windows or an ancient boiler yourself and make a mental note that you'd need to update them to save on energy use?

Regardless, I can't imagine the chap doing ours can have been very in-depth in analysing the energy minutiae of the property for the sake of £45.

We had ours done last year for selling. They assumed most things - like loft insulation, wall materials, etc. They didn’t check radiators or plugs… they did a damp meter and walked around, it took about 10 minutes.