libra-energy-an-estates-energy-services
Energy performance certificates were first introduced in 2007 by the government as a way of encouraging landlords and homeowners to use environmentally friendly building techniques to save energy and help lower carbon emissions.
It’s been 13 years and we’re going to attempt to answer the question ‘is an energy performance certificate worth the paper it’s printed on?’
Energy Performance Certificates or EPC’s (for short) are created by a qualified professional and designed to show just how energy efficient a property is using a simple system of coloured bars exactly like the energy ratings that you see when you are buying a new kitchen appliance.
In the early days of EPC’s many landlords reported that their tenants either weren’t interested in the energy performance rating or simply didn’t care. Many were just glad to have had the opportunity to rent in the face of the UK’s structural problems with housing shortages. Likewise, estate agents also claimed similar things citing that when a buyer falls in love with their prospective new home, many simply didn’t care about the EPC.
Over the last decade, however, all of that has changed, both buyers and sellers are now very aware that a home that is rated ‘A’ can sell for considerably more than a home with a lower rating. In addition to this buyers, sellers and renters increasingly understand that a property’s energy rating could have a major impact on their future finances and living standards once the sale has been completed making the EPC an important consideration.
Thus when it comes to both buyer and seller the EPC is an important factor in the sales process making it likely that the EPC is not only an established part of property management, but Energy Performance Professionals think that it’s highly likely that the government will bring in increasingly tougher guidelines as Britain moves into a more sustainable and greener future.
So yes, EPC’s are worth the paper that they are written on!
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