Property Energy Report

The ultimate guide

Young woman looking at property energy rating

The property energy report is an important part of a property report that is required when selling or renting a property. Property owners are required to provide the report, which shows the energy efficiency of a building as well as its environmental impacts. A property energy report is called an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC).

 An EPC is a mandatory certificate that homeowners should have before renting or selling a building. Where an estate or letting agent has been involved, they must include a property energy report from the EPC in all media marketing material produced for that building.

 For newly constructed buildings, the builder should provide the property energy report to the individual who commissioned the construction within five days of completion.

The law

A property energy report is required whenever a property is built, marketed, for sale, rented. It is a requirement of Article 7 of the European Energy Performance Certificate of Buildings Directive. The Article insists that an EPC should be produced to the prospective buyer when any property is being sold. Failure to have a property energy report or EPC can lead to the issuing of a penalty charge notice. An EPC is valid for ten years and can be produced by an accredited energy assessor.

Importance of a property energy report

A property energy report is produced using standard information about a property. It allows potential tenants and buyers to compare the energy efficiency of all the properties. They will get an idea of how much it may cost them to light and heat a building before buying or renting.

 The property energy report or EPC will also show how energy efficient a building is if some the recommended improvements are made. It usually lists various recommendations highlighting cost-effective measures and how to use low energy savers to improve the energy rating and energy efficiency of the building. Once the recommendations on improvements are made, the property will become cheaper to heat and more comfortable to live in.

 

Ratings

Properties or buildings are rated starting from ‘A’ to ‘G.’ ‘A’ rated buildings are those that are very efficient, while G means they are inefficient. On the property energy report, ‘A’ is coloured green while ‘G’ is coloured red. You should note that properties with higher ratings are more energy-efficient than those with a lower rating. Clean growth strategy launched ambitious legislation to reduce building energy use through the use of property energy reports such as the EPC. All homes in the private sector and fuel-poor homes are to be upgraded to Energy Performance Certificate Band C by 2030 in the UK.

 

Conclusion

Remember that if you are building, selling, or renting a building, it is your duty as the landlord or owner to ensure that you have a property energy report. You should also ensure that it is made available to potential tenants or buyers. If you want to rent or buy property, ensure that a property energy report is made available to you free of charge. Therefore, sellers, homeowners, buyers, or tenants of any property should always ensure that an EPC is available to them before entering into an agreement.

Rickie Dickson

Written by Rickie Dickson

Rickie Dickson is an experienced and qualified domestic and non domestic energy assessor. He helps homeowners and businesses in all matters relating to energy efficiency, from meeting building regulations compliance to improving a property’s energy rating score.