The Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) is a rating plan, to sum up a buildings’ energy efficiency in the European Union. The building is given a rating between A (Very efficient) – G (Inefficient). The EPC also incorporates and covers tips on the most cost-effective ways to improve your home’s energy rating.
Energy Performance Certificates were launched in Belfast Northern Ireland in July of 2008, as part of Home Information Packs (HIPs) for domestic properties with four or more bedrooms.
Rental properties, which have a certificate valid for ten years, are required on a new tenancy commencing on or after October 1st, 2008.
EPCs are as a result of the European Union Directive 2002/91/EC relating to the energy performance of buildings, as transferred into British law by the Housing Act 2004 and The Energy Performance of Buildings (Certificates and Inspections) (England and Wales) Regulations 2007 (SI 2007/991).
The calculation of the EPC’s energy rating is based on the Standard Assessment Procedure (SAP). Existent residences are evaluated using Reduced Data SAP (RdSAP). A simplified version of the SAP methodology that requires fewer data inputs. SAP and RdSAP are derived from the UK Building Research Establishment’s Domestic Energy Model (BREDEM), originally developed in the 1980s and underlies the NHER Rating.
The certificate contains the following property details:
- Property type (for example, detached house)
- Certificate date and serial number
- Total floor area.
- Date of inspection
- Property address
The total floor area recorded in the certificate is the area contained within the property’s external walls. The figure includes stairwells and internal walls but excludes garages, balconies, verandahs, and places less than 1.5 meters high.
What’s the Energy Performance Certificate for Houses in Northern Ireland?
An Energy Performance Certificate – or EPC – is a 7-page document that sets out the energy efficiency of A to G’s traffic light system to G. With A being the most efficient. Energy performance certificates show the energy competence of houses on a scale of A to G. The most efficient homes – which should have the lowest fuel bills – are in band A. The certificate uses the same scale to define the impact a home has on the environment. Better-rated homes should have less impact through carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions. The average property in the UK is in band D or E.
An Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) indicates how much it will cost to power and heat a property. It also comprises recommendations of energy-efficient improvements, the cost of carrying them out, and the possible savings in pounds and cents that each one could generate.
You will need an EPC within seven days of a property being marketed for sale or rent – although if you are using an estate agent or letting agent, they should do this on your behalf. EPCs became a legal requirement in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland in 2008 and in Scotland in 2009. Sellers and landlords who do not have an EPC can be fined up to £5,000.
There is no consistent fee for an EPC – it depends on determinants such as the size and type of property – but prices tend to start at around £80. There are various companies that sell EPCs in Belfast.