WHAT DOES AN EPC ASSESSMENT INVOLVE?

What does an EPC Assessment Involve?

An Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) measures the energy efficiency of residential properties and rates it on a sliding scale depending on how efficient it is. Ratings are from A-G with A being the most efficient and G being the least.

If you're looking to sell or rent your home, then you'll need an EPC assessment completed to go alongside your listing to show potential buyers how energy efficient the home is.

If you're a landlord, it's a legal requirement to have an up-to-date Energy Performance Certificate and recent rules mean that the property has to meet Minimum Energy Efficiency Standards (MEES) of an E rating or above in order to comply with regulations.

If you're unsure how EPC assessments work, take a look at our helpful guide below that answers everything you need to know about the assessment, how to prepare and what to expect.

What happens in an EPC assessment?

What happens in a standard EPC assessment is an EPC energy-accredited assessor will need access to your whole property in order to fully complete your domestic energy assessment. They look at a range of different metrics to determine how efficient your property is and all of these are put together to create a final Energy Performance Certificate.

The areas your energy assessor will look at include:

  • The age, construction and size of your property
  • Primary heating systems - including the boiler and heating controls and their energy efficiency
  • Insulation - whether there is cavity wall insulation or loft insulation installed
  • Any secondary heat sources including renewable energy sources
  • Lighting - whether any energy-saving light bulbs or low energy light bulbs are in use
  • Windows - if you have double glazing or higher

Once all of these areas have been assessed, then calculations are made and you are provided with a new EPC rating for your property. Alongside the Energy Performance Certificate, the domestic energy assessor will also provide advice on improvements that will help you improve your property's energy performance. A valid EPC lasts for 10 years.

How long does an EPC assessment take?

The size of the property impacts how long the EPC survey takes. However, our domestic energy assessor will typically be at your property for around an hour looking at the different areas of your property. The domestic energy assessment is a non-intrusive look at your property, so you will not be expected to move anything or be around to aid the energy assessor.

Once all areas of your home have been assessed, it will take a few days to get all the calculations and report together to provide you with a final EPC rating. As soon as we have a report, we will send it over to you and you will then get an official certificate with your final EPC rating on.

How do I prepare for an EPC?

As above, this is a non-intrusive assessment so there is no need to spend ages organising your home ready for your EPC assessor. However, there are a few things you can do to make the process smoother, these include:

Ensuring any work on the home are complete before the survey takes place. An EPC reviews your home at that particular time and cannot account for any works retrospectively, so ensure they're finished to be counted on your EPC certificate.

Keep hold of any paperwork that shows works that you've had done, for example, if you've had double glazing, you should have a FENSA certificate for this, and if there's loft insulation or any other type of existing insulation, then you'll have a guarantee for this too.

If you're hoping to quickly improve your home's energy efficiency rating before the assessment takes place, take a look at some quick and easy ways to make it more energy efficient. This can include replacing inefficient light bulbs with energy-saving light bulbs. If you're in Surrey or Sussex and need an EPC assessment, then give us a call on 01403 253439 to book your EPC certificate survey.

How long is an EPC valid for?

Energy Performance Certificates are valid for 10 years, so it can be used for property sales at any point during the 10 year period. If you've spent time working on your home to improve its energy efficiency, then you may consider having another EPC survey completed before the 10 years is up to understand how your improvements have increased the rating on your property's Energy Performance Certificate (EPC).

This is also a great selling point for your home, as a higher EPC rating can improve your property's value and make it more attractive to potential buyers who may check on the EPC register.

How do I book an EPC?

How to book an EPC is simple but there are some considerations to make. Before you book an EPC survey, you need to ensure the company you are instructing is a fully qualified domestic energy assessor. You can check for the nearest qualified EPC assessor on the government EPC register and this will give you peace of mind that you're working with professionals.

To book a survey, all you need to do is contact a domestic energy assessor and provide them with details of your property such as the address and the size.

The EPC assessor will then give you all the information you need and book a convenient appointment to undertake the EPC survey. If you're ready for your EPC test, give our Sussex and Surrey-based expert assessors a call on 01403 253439 or contact us to book your EPC survey.

At Falcon Energy we are a fully accredited domestic energy assessor based in Sussex and Surrey and can undertake all testing and provide valid certificates. Give our team a call on 01403 253439 to book your EPC survey.

Working with Falcon Energy

At Falcon Energy, we are a fully qualified EPC assessor in Sussex and Surrey and have worked on all types of properties, including listed buildings, to provide accurate and up-to-date EPC certificates.

Our team of professionals also work with developers to provide EPC's for large developments of properties across the south east.

Our close ties with estate agents mean we are able to quickly and efficiently provide an EPC for your property sale and we can even provide detailed floor plans to go alongside your listing.

If you'd like to find out more about our services and book an appointment for an EPC get in touch with our team today.

Posted in EPC's, Energy.