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HouseWorth
© GetAgent Limited 2024

Does my house have
an EPC?

EPCs are valid for 10 years, and are required any time a property is built or listed for sale/rent. Therefore your property may have an EPC already without you knowing it!

Instantly check if your property has a valid EPC:

How Does Our EPC Checker Work?

Type in your postcode to instantly check if your property has a valid EPC.

Don’t Have an EPC? Compare EPC Prices with Our Tool

If, after using our tool, you find that your property does not have an EPC, we provide you with a set of prices for an EPC on your property. These come directly from Domestic Energy Assessors (DEAs) and/or Home Inspectors (HIs) who cover the local area. You can then contact them directly, or they may contact you should they wish to.

Your details are NOT provided to any third parties. To calculate the price for your EPC, your property details are only provided to relevant professionals who cover your area.

We will NOT use your contact details again, other than a brief feedback email to check that you were happy with the service provided.

What is an EPC?

EPC stands for ‘Energy Performance Certificate’. When potential buyers and tenants are looking at your property, this certificate offers them insight into the energy performance of your home. They’re usually put together by an official assessor just before a property goes on the market.

You should expect your EPC to contain:

- An energy efficiency rating from A (the highest) to G (the lowest)

- An indication of how much your home’s energy bills cost, and it’s average carbon dioxide emissions

- A detailed assessment of the energy performance of particular features in your home

- Recommendations on how to improve the energy efficiency of your home

Your EPC assessment will be based on ‘typical’ usage of the property - rather than tailored to the way you actually use the building. And, it’ll only take into account heating, lighting, and hot water.

An EPC is a useful way for potential buyers or tenants to get a general sense of how much their energy bills might cost if they lived there. They’ll also be able to compare these costs with the other properties they are looking at. The better your EPC rating, the lower your energy costs - and the more attractive your home looks to its potential new owners.

Do I need an EPC to sell / rent my house?

Yes. Most home sellers and landlords have to get an EPC before they put their property on the market.

There are a couple of exceptions - such as certain listed properties - but these have other energy criteria to fulfil instead.

How long is an EPC valid for?

An EPC is valid for 10 years.

The certificate stays with the property, even if the owner that arranged it no longer lives there. So, if you’ve moved into a property within the past decade, it’s possible that your home’s certificate is still valid.

However, if your EPC is close to the 10 year expiration date, it’s likely that it’s no longer very accurate, and it may be worthwhile getting a new assessment done.

It’s very common for home owners to do improvements that impact their EPC assessment, even without realising it. You might, for example, have changed your light bulbs to a more energy efficient variety, or installed better insulation. All these small changes can improve your EPC score (and therefore the attractiveness of your property).

How to improve your EPC rating?

The best way to improve your EPC rating is to make the changes recommended by your assessor. These will usually be things like: improving the insulation of your walls, floors, and loft; installing energy efficient lighting; or even changing your main heating source.

Your certificate will include both the cost and expected impact of each recommended change. It will also tell you which are the ‘top actions’. These are the improvements that will make the greatest amount of difference to your EPC rating.

If you’re a renter or leaseholder, make sure you ask permission from the freeholder before you undertake any major improvements (like installing solar panels).

If you would like to find out more, read our guide to energy performance certificates here.

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