We included a note about EPCs in our August 2023 Newsletter. An EPC is needed whenever a home is built, sold or rented. It contains information about a property’s energy use, typical energy costs, and recommendations about how to reduce energy use and save money. It gives a property an energy efficiency rating from A (most efficient) to G (least efficient) and is valid for 10 years. It’s a legal requirement that your property has an EPC rating of E or above before you can rent it out. Listed buildings don’t need an EPC.
For some time, there has been criticism of the existing EPC regime on the grounds that for some homeowners its assessment metrics can appear badly aligned with climate change targets. There are now plans to reform it, with new metrics anticipated to be introduced in the second half of 2026. In December the Government launched a consultation “Reforms to the Energy Performance of Buildings regime” that includes an analysis of the shortcomings of the existing regime and the current proposals for reform.
For homeowners who have been looking into heat pumps and other climate friendly heating options, this is your chance to your views. As the consultation document points out: “… installing a heat pump could reduce the Energy Efficiency Rating due to the higher relative cost of electricity compared to gas, despite heat pumps being an efficient low-carbon heating solution”. Replacing an old inefficient gas boiler with a new highly efficient electric alternative, fuelled by electricity from 100% renewable sources, can also worsen a property’s EPC rating under the existing regime.
The Government has confirmed that all rented properties will have to achieve a minimum EPC grade C by 2030. Currently, unless there is a valid exemption, it’s illegal for landlords to rent out a home with an EPC rating below E. The new C rating requirement will be challenging for some properties to meet, including flats on higher floors in converted Victorian houses, where retrofitting energy-saving measures can be difficult, while also facing planning restrictions if in a Conservation Area.
While owner-occupiers of existing properties will not be forced to meet the C rating, the market attractiveness and value of a property could in future be affected if it does not. Details of the reform proposals and the consultation are available at www.gov.uk/government/consultations/reforms-to-the-energy-performance-of-buildings-regime/reforms-to-the-energy-performance-of-buildings-regime.
The Government is proposing that domestic EPCs in future use four headline metrics: fabric performance, heating system, smart readiness, and energy costs, with other metrics provided as secondary information. The online response survey is at https://consult.communities.gov.uk/energy-performance-of-buildings/consultation-on-reforms-to-epb/.It’s necessary to have read the consultation document in order to complete the survey. Hopefully among the Society’s membership there will be individuals with the necessary professional expertise to ensure that the new EPC regime will be appropriate for the sort of older housing we enjoy in the Belsize Park area. The deadline for responding to the consultation is 26 February. Stay in touch on retrofit@belsize.org.uk.