Energy Efficiency Certificate
Nowadays, an energy efficiency certificate is often known as an energy performance certificate (EPC), such an energy efficiency certificate being needed whenever a property is built, sold or rented, and, in Scotland, you must display a domestic EPC somewhere in the property, such as in the meter cupboard or next to the boiler.
An EPC contains information about a property’s energy use and typical energy costs. It also provides recommendations about how to reduce energy use and, in turn, save money. It gives a property an energy efficiency rating and is valid for 10 years.
The energy efficiency certificate rates a building’s performance in terms of energy use per square metre of floor area, energy efficiency based on fuel costs and environmental impact based on carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions. Getting an assessment and energy efficiency certificate can help you identify ways to save money on your energy bills and improve the comfort of the building.
Why you need an Energy Efficiency Certificate
Legislation insists that an approved energy assessor prepares and produces the energy efficiency certificate. A qualified and accredited energy assessor from ‘EPC For You’ can visit your property to collect data required for assessing energy features and generating your property’s own bespoke EPC using government-approved software.
Similar to the multi-coloured sticker on new appliances and vehicles, an EPC tells you how energy efficient a building is and gives it a rating from A (very efficient) to G (very inefficient). EPCs also calculate how costly it will be to heat and light the building, and what its carbon dioxide emissions are likely to be.
The energy efficiency certificate is colour-coded from green to red, with the green end of the scale indicating that the property is very energy efficient with lower running costs, and the red end of the scale indicating it is not energy efficient and has higher running costs. There is also a numerical rating from 1-100. The bigger the number, the more energy efficient the building is and the lower the energy costs will be.
The energy efficiency certificate also has on it an environmental impact rating, this time colour-coded from blue to grey, signifying ‘very environmentally friendly – lower CO2 emissions’ at the blue end of the scale through to ‘not environmentally friendly – higher CO2 emissions’ at the grey end. With the numerical rating, the bigger the number, the less impact the property has on the environment.
As well as the legally required format and information, your EPC can also make recommendations to improve the building’s energy efficiency. These are not general recommendations, but ones made bespoke to your property. You don’t have to carry them out, but taking on these recommendations can increase your property’s value and, after carrying out the improvements, you may wish to get a fresh EPC produced to reflect the higher energy efficiency and make your property even more marketable. If you are a landlord, with an energy efficiency certificate you can reassure prospective tenants that the energy rating has been assessed to a high degree of accuracy, which brings with it tenants more likely to remain long-term.
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