Energy Performance Certificate Standards to Rise

From April 1^st this year, it will become harder to attain a high level Energy Performance Certificate rating than ever as the standards and requisites increase. Councils, estate agents and energy assessors are advising professional and private property owners to undertake an energy efficiency assessment as soon as possible in order to improve the chances of attaining a higher rating.

The Energy Performance Certificate demonstrates the energy efficiency of a property by rating it from A+ to G with A+ being the preferable mark. This showcases to potential buyers or tenants how efficiently the property uses energy and how much it will cost to heat and upkeep. Naturally, buyers and tenants may be perturbed by lower ratings and be willing to part with less cash to live in such houses. Therefore attaining a higher mark, made easier by ascertaining the certificate before the regulation changes, is recommended to improve the lure of a home.

Henry Parkinson, Senior Director at CBRE Bristol, revealed: “Buildings currently without an EPC certificate that are likely to seek to obtain one in the near future due to changes in tenants or ownership could find that the rating drops into the next band.”

“Long term this is likely to have a significant impact on the property sector, as from April 2018 the new Energy Act will make it unlawful to rent out or sell a property which does not reach a minimum energy efficiency standard of E. Therefore any F and G rated assets are at risk.”

A property which would currently score and Energy Performance Certificate score of E, could well find itself scoring an F in just a few months. This would mean that it would have to be subjected to significant energy efficiency improvements before it can even be put on the market.

Asim Nawaz, Director at EPCarlson, believes that there is never a wrong time to procure an Energy Performance Certificate: “even if you aren’t even thinking about selling or letting out your property, it is always useful to understand how it is using the energy that it consumes. You may find out that you are spending more on energy bills than you should be and that it could be simply and effectively solved.”

The new tougher Energy Performance Certificate criteria will affect only those that are carried out on or after the deadline day of April 1^st.