Would you buy a house with a G on the EPC?

[failingmammalian]

Just that really... Amazing house great location and it's rated G! I didn't even imagine such houses existed still...

is it a very old house, with solid walls etc, or has it just missed out on loft insulation and other work?

It's late Victorian and does have a loft conversion of some kind ....

We did! We've replaced the boiler and insulated to help with the heat loss (boiler was 26yrs old and there was zilch insulation in the roof). It has made a difference.

To be fair, if it's an old house then the tests aren't that accurate as they are against criteria for modern structures. I know someone who bought an old house with a very low rating and it's super warm (thanks to the thick stone walls). Saying that, lots of old houses are freezing cold too.

It depends what you want really and if there is any opportunity to increase its perfomrance, without wrecking it (if it's old). The Epc really didn't bother me though.

Thanks Olivia... I'm just worried that if we use the loft as office etc we can't just throw down some insulation.. V g point on old vs new tho
The wierd thing is the house was boiling when we went round. Wonder if they maxed the heating on purpose! It's also multi tenanted ... Wonder if a fridge in each room changes the rating...?

I would if I could figure out what to do to improve it and had the money to do so.

depending when the loft was converted, and if it was compliant with building regulations of the time, it could be either very well insulated, or not at all. If you are buying the house you will find out as your solicitor will ask for the evidence. If there is no evidence, assume it to be non-compliant. The insulation has to be between the ceiling and the tiles.

You can insulate under the ground floor. There might be a cellar or good crawl space, which will make it more tolerable. Bare floorboards will be very cold, and draughty.

If it has a number of open fireplaces, they can cause bad draughts. This can be rectified, but they must be ventilated top and bottom or they will get damp from the inside.

Original doors and windows can be renovated and draughtproofed.

Older fridges are very energy inefficient and do emit substantial heat.

The victorian house we bought was G rated but the changes needed to make it much more efficient we relatively easy and within our overall budget.
Loft insulation, changing light fittings (all of the originals took about 20 standard bulbs - now changed to LEDs with a lot less bulbs per fitting, 1-2), changed the ancient boiler & cylinder, added controls and TVRs & flushed the ancient system, draft proofing etc have already made a massive difference. We are in the process of doing the windows although we could probably have coped without. I've just had friends to stay who all commented about how cosy & warm the house is and they couldn't believe it as it looks like a big draughty Victorian pile from outside.
The thing is we factored into the price we offered was that we needed to do work to be able to afford to run it.
We are about to change all the toilets to low flush versions rather than the ancient rather ropey gallon versions the house came with, which will make a massive difference too as we are on a meter.

I think mines something like that. I'd happily buy one as you can improve it (check out the governments green deal as they will give you cash back/ loans towards it).

yeah, right, good luck jumping through the green deal hoops. It is almost impossible to get any cash from them which is why the takeup is so abysmal. You'll also stuff up resale if you put a green deal charge on the place.

Be aware that a G -rated house cannot be rented out as of 2018, so you won't have that option.

have a detailed look at the EPC to see what the actual issues are.

BTW I don't think there are any A rated houses, I've never seen one.

Wow thanks all! So many quick reposnses
It does have a cellar yes so that's sthg....

'A' rating is indeed very very difficult to achieve and would only be possible with a purpose built house.
A good place to start looking at energy efficiency improvements is www.energysavingtrust.org.uk/Insulation/Home-Energy-Check

OURS is G rated and with suggested improvements it will be ( you guessed G rated, some old houses particularly if listed are not possible to improve by standard means which are measured however a G house can be warm and cosy

we have single glazed sash windows which are well fitted and have old really thick glass so actually retain heat well but it will never be taken account of in an EPC inspection because it is not double glazing neither with thick lined floor length curtains or door curtains on porchiere

with old houses you have to be carefully what type opf loft insulation you use as some types seal moisture in as old houses were made to breathe with lime mortar etc and so sealing them increases rather than decreases problems

So..... It turns out the EPC was wrong. It had electric heaters instead of gas ch and single instead of double glazing ... V shoddy. But I'm pleased! Altho of course I bet it's only an f or sthg now!

The victorian house we bought was G rated but the changes needed to make it much more efficient we relatively easy and within our overall budget. – You know if you like the house, it{s the main thing! Many people have to do home renovations and serious improvements in old houses. But you do it to make the house livable and comfortable for you and your family.

you might want to inform whoever paid for the EPC (the vendors) that they wasted their money. If the person doing it can't spot those basic things they should be de-registered.