Energy Performance Certificates: The Lowdown | 4Homes

Date Published:: 22/05/2008

Energy Ratings

We then sat down and had a chat. She guessed that my EPC would come out with about an E rating. Considering homes are rated between A (for efficient homes) and G (for polluting, gas guzzling monsters), I wasn't overly impressed.

However, my assessor said that most houses will come out lower than you'd hope because of their age. In other words, a brick-built Victorian house has got no chance of competing with a well-insulated new build, so it naturally ranks much lower on the ratings table.

So what's the solution? My DEA said she saw an EPC not as a stick to beat home owners with, particularly because period properties are never going to be A or B rated, but more as a carrot. If a home only manages a low rating, she said, the owner would be more aware of how energy-inefficient it was, and keener to make changes, however small, to improve it.

Lowering your thermostat is one way to save energy.

We discussed improvements I could make on my home. She did not recommend double glazing because the house is in a conservation area. However, she did suggest we swap our old light bulbs for energy-saving ones and said that in the future, we might like to think about installing photo voltaic or solar panels on our roof. I pointed out that most of our usable roof space faces north but I'm looking into it.

The Energy Performance Certificate

Usually, your EPC would go straight to your estate agent, who would in all likelihood be handling your HIP. However, since I'm not selling, mine came straight to me. As predicted, my house had an energy efficiency rating of 47 (out of 100), with a potential- if I made the recommended changes of 49. Its environmental impact in terms of CO2 emissions was listed as 42, which was also its potential.

The report then listed how much money I could save on my bills per year, if I was to follow the assessor's recommendations. Lighting would go from £108 down to £64; heating would (confusingly) go from £932 to £941, while hot water would stay the same.

Recommendations are made in three parts: "low cost", "high cost" and "further measures". So, on my "low cost" list, I had low-energy light bulbs. Cost wasn't listed, but typical savings per year were listed at £36. I had no "high cost" recommendations, but "further measures" included "secondary glazing to single panelled windows" (not double-glazing), at a saving of £64 a year. Again, this is something I can look into, although "further measures" are listed as "only to be considered in addition to those already specified if aiming for the highest possible standards for this home".

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Comments

This was very interesting, asI have been looking into ways of improving efficiency in my home. like your all my walls are concrete/old victorian style, but enegy saving llight bulbs, solar panels,a re all something i can look into. cheers v interesting

Posted by rgawthorne on 13/10/2008 14:02:17

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I read your article with interest, and indeed in this "case study" the assessor has observed the many facets that are required on the RdSAP (Reduced Data Standard Assessment Procedure). RdSAP has to make certain assumptions about the property construction, lighting and heating parameters the latter based on "average usage", with this program it is possible to predict an energy assessment of a property based on these principles. DEA's know this, the alternative would be to conduct an "invasive survey" such as remove floorings to determine construction, remove boardings in loft spaces to determine insulation values. Clearly, the homeowner would not wish their home torn apart to determine these factors, hence RdSAP makes certain assumptions about areas with no access, usually based on the age of the property build. In this particular case double glazing could not be recommended as the property is in a conservation area, the only real option here is to install secondary glazing. The assessor in this study had suggested reasonable improvements to make the home more energy efficient. Photovoltaic panels, although a good renewable energy source have a long "payback" time, due to the expense incurred. Similarly, due to the recent increases in gas and electricity prices there has been a rush of interest in domestic wind turbines, probably sold on the pretext that you can "export" electricity back to the grid, and save money at the same time, however, for most homeowners this is not really an option as in most cases the turbine induces a great deal of vibration if mounted on a house, and, will not produce sufficient energy to claim credit by exporting excess power back to the grid. At the end of the day the conclusion is it not what you've got - its how you use it. Consumption is the biggest factor of all, if you use it a little or not at all, then you will certainly save money on energy bills no matter how well or poorly the efficiency rating is applied to the property, simple measures to reduce consumption and heat losses in any property will without doubt will save the homeowner money.

Posted by Chris Wood on 16/09/2008 19:08:24

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Essential Guides & Advice Energy Performance Certificates

Contents:

Energy Ratings

The Energy Performance Certificate

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