AccuRating Ltd is a reliable, ethical and professional company. All information provided in this FAQ section has been researched and is believed to be factual and is provided without prejudice. Should you find any element that is misleading, please contact us by e-mail or fill in our contact enquiry form.

As from August 2007 all houses with 4 or more bedrooms require an EPC before they can be placed on the market. This is an EU Directive to the UK. The EU has to ensure that all members are complying with the problems associated with climate change and are working towards the more efficient use of energy. It is now mandatory. The EPC will form part of the “Home Information Pack”.

Most buyers and sellers were dissatisfied with the current system for house buying and selling. The introduction of the Housing Act 2004 was introduced precisely to start the process of radically overhauling the conveyance process and bring the legislation into the 21st century.

Here are some of the detailed findings of the research carried out in 1998 that led to the changes being made:

• 28% of offers made and accepted to purchase houses failed (this extrapolates to 583,000 failed transactions per year, based on 1.5 million successful transactions in 2002)
• A typical failed transaction cost about £900 (£680 for Buyers and £226 for Sellers). This was mainly Conveyance costs, mortgage valuation and survey fees. This had increased to £1000 by 2002. This does not include additional and abortive costs by Marketing & Estate Agents.
• It took an average of 8 weeks from offer acceptance to exchange of contracts. This is slow by international standards.

Therefore, to answer the question, “What was wrong with the Old system?”:

• Key information available too late in the process.
• The Government considers a 28% transaction failure too high resulting in a high overall unnecessary expenditure by buyers and sellers.
• The transaction period is too long and getting worse. This appears to be confirmed by a more recent survey by the Building Research Establishment (BRE) and Ipsos MORI where the average transaction period was found to have increased to 81 days.
• Also from the BRE/MORI study, the average (mean) transaction time from marketing to completion was a staggering 6½ months. Even 9 months was not uncommon.
• Too much time wasted in carrying out duplicated searches and surveys (paid for by the buyer)
• Voluntary schemes to improve matters have failed.
• System was largely unchanged since the Law of Property Act 1925. The relatively recent explosion of the Internet has radically changed the methods of information exchange and how many business transactions are carried out. The Property transaction businesses were unable to take best advantage of these new systems.

The legislation for EPBD was laid in Parliament in March 2007, came into force, and is continuing to do so in a phased manner through and until January 2009.

The roll-out is phased by building sector. It will be designed to ensure the availability of sufficient qualified inspectors before placing a requirement on a particular sector to undertake certification.

Dates for the introduction of measures

In England and Wales, the following timescale applies for existing dwellings:

• 1 August 2007 EPCs required for the marketed sales (and leaseholds) of existing dwellings with 4 or more bedrooms.
• 10 September 2007 EPCs required for the marketed sales (and leaseholds) of existing dwellings with 3 or more bedrooms.
• 14 December 2007 EPCs required for the marketed sales (and leaseholds) of all existing dwellings.
• October 2008 EPCs required for rental of all dwellings and all remaining sales and leaseholds of dwellings.

Properties with 4 or more bedrooms which were on the market before 1 August 2007 will not require an EPC until a date set by Government in light of market conditions (we’re not expecting this until sometime in 2008). Smaller properties will be similarly affected if put on the market before the relevant dates above.

AAn Energy Performance Certificate shows the official energy efficiency rating of a property. If you're not planning to sell your home, you don't need to do anything.

The Energy Performance Certificate is similar to the certificates now provided with domestic appliances such as refrigerators and washing machines.

Its purpose is to record how energy-efficient a property is as a building. The certificate will provide a rating of the property from A to G in graphical format, where A is very efficient and G is very inefficient. The average rating for property is within the band E.

Two ratings are shown.

1. The environmental impact rating is a measure of a home's impact on the environment in terms of carbon dioxide (C02) emissions - the higher the rating, the less impact it has on the environment.
2. The energy-efficiency rating is a measure of a home's overall efficiency. The higher the rating, the more energy-efficient the home is, and the lower the fuel bills are likely to be.

Each rating is based on the performance of the building itself and its services (such as heating and lighting), rather than the domestic appliances within it. The certificate also lists the potential rating of the building if all the cost-effective measures were installed.

The energy performance related features are also assessed ‘good, average or poor’ and provides recommendations as to what measures can be undertaken to improve the properties performance and ideas of the approximate costs.

The ratings will vary according to the age, size and condition of the building. The potential rating on the certificate will take these factors into consideration, and the suggested measures will be tailored so that they are realistic for the particular building.

By 2009, all buildings in the UK that are constructed, sold or rented out will have to have an Energy Performance Certificate, in accordance with the European Energy Performance of Buildings Directive.

Nearly 40 per cent of the UK's energy consumption arises from the way in which our 25 million buildings are lit, heated and used. Even comparatively minor changes in energy performance and the way we use each building will have a significant effect in reducing energy consumption - and therefore carbon emissions.

Communities and Local Government is leading the introduction of a number of energy and cost-saving measures to make all buildings more efficient. These measures are being applied across all European Union countries and are in line with the European Directive for the Energy Performance of Buildings.

The EPC is part of these new measures to improve property efficiency. It will include suggestions to enable homeowners to improve the energy efficiency of the building. This can mean lower energy bills for the occupiers and could make homes more attractive to potential purchasers.

The certificate will also provide contact details for the Energy Savings Trust, who can help you find out whether you could be eligible for grants or discounts to help carry out these improvements to your home. It will also list simple ways that changes in behaviour can save you energy and money - without the need for any works

Yes, an internal and external inspection of the property is carried out by a qualified Domestic Energy Assessor Inspectors will carry out the following:

• Note the construction of your walls.
• Measure the roof insulation.
• Confirm how many windows are double glazed.
• Count the number of open fireplaces.
• Check the make and model of boiler under EU SEDBUK regulations (Seasonal Efficiency of Domestic Boilers in the UK).
• Look for green devices (such as solar panels).
• Calculate the number of low-energy light bulbs.
• Confirm the type of heating system used e.g. radiators, underfloor heating, electric etc.
• Categorise the type of material used to insulate hot water cylinder.
• Measure heat loss through roof.
• Check for excessive window area in larger houses and take precise measurements of conservatories and extensions.
• Confirm how many 'habitable' rooms are heated.

The time taken to perform an energy assessment will vary according to the size and nature of the property. An average 3 bedroom property will possibly take around an hour on site and then around one to two hours off site completing the information. Because of the wide variation of buildings, any form of 'average time' may not be meaningful to your individual property.

The DEA (Domestic Energy Assessor) will aim to contact you within 24 hours to arrange a convenient time to conduct the Energy Performance Certificate assessment.

Dependent upon time scales, the appointment will be confirmed in writing and we will send you some optional forms which assist in making the EPC even more accurate.

Once the assessment has occurred and all the information has been collated – this will be added to the related government database. This will enable the production of the final Energy Performance Certificate.

You should receive your hard copies within a few days.

This simply indicates your home could be more energy efficient. During the inspection, a number of recommendations to improve the energy efficiency will be identified. Implementation of these could not only increase your rating and reduce carbon emissions but also save money on energy bills. It is up to you whether you implement the recommendations or not.

An Energy Performance Certificate is commissioned by the seller (or their agent) from an accredited Energy Assessor, who visits the property to collect the relevant data and creates the certificate. This data includes the date, construction and location of the house.

All the methodologies used to produce Energy Performance Certificates consider factors such as the property’s size, age and how it's heated, lit and insulated. How any individuals live within the property or use the appliances or use heated water for baths is not a part of the calculations relating to the Property. This enables two properties to be compared on a “like for like” basis.

For homes, two ratings are shown. The energy-efficiency rating is a measure of a home's overall efficiency. The higher the rating, the more energy-efficient the home is, and the lower the fuel bills are likely to be. The environmental impact rating is a measure of a home's impact on the environment in terms of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions - the higher the rating, the less impact it has on the environment.

Each rating is based on the performance of the building itself and its services (such as heating and lighting), rather than the domestic appliances within it. This is known as an asset rating. The certificate also lists the potential rating of the building if all the cost-effective measures were installed.

The ratings will vary according to the age, location, size and condition of the building. The potential rating on the certificate will take these factors into account, and the suggested measures will be tailored so that they are realistic for the particular building.

• Example of an Energy Performance Certificate [PDF, 122Kb]

In addition to the asset ratings, EPCs must convey several other key pieces of information:

• Reference information
  This includes the type of property (e.g. house, flat), the unique reference number (as stored in the central register) and date of the certificate.
• Estimated energy use
  This is based on standardised assumptions about occupancy and heating patterns. An estimate of the current and potential energy use, carbon emissions and fuel costs for lighting, heating and hot water is provided. The actual energy use depends on the behaviour of the occupants.
• Energy Assessor details
  This includes the assessor's name, accreditation number, company name (or trading name if self employed) and contact details.
• Complaints
  The certificate will provide information about how to complain or how to check the certificate is authentic.
• Energy advice
  The certificate provides basic advice about energy efficient behaviour.
• Recommendation report
  The certificate is accompanied by a report which includes recommendations to improve the energy ratings. Recommendations include cost effective improvements and further improvements (that achieve higher standards but are not necessarily cost effective). For each improvement the level of cost, typical cost savings per year and the performance rating after improvement are listed. The potential rating shown on the certificate is based on all the cost effective recommendations being implemented

A sample Domestic Energy Performance Certificate can be seen by visiting the link (you will require Adobe Reader to view the example EPC).

The Energy Performance Certificate is currently valid for 1 year, although this is under review by the Government.

AccuRating is proud to say that they are an independent company that can focus purely on providing a professional, reliable and trustworthy EPC service. We are not a part of any panel of EPC providers. You will always know that you will get a level of service you deserve – the best.

Accreditation can be best describes when you liken the process to that of when a Plumber becomes “Corgi” registered. It proves that they are competent enough to fit and maintain gas appliances. Likewise, being Accredited, proves that the Domestic Energy Assessors within AccuRating are fully trained, competent and registered to provide EPCs.

The Accreditation Scheme:

• Ensures that all Domestic Energy Assessors (DEAs) are 'fit and proper' people
• Check the background of DEAs, including carrying out a Criminal Records Bureau check
• Ensure that the DEAs are qualified to carry out their duties
• Ensure that the DEAs have adequate indemnity cover to deal with any claims that might arise
• Check the quality of the work produced by DEAs and ensure that there are no drops in standards
• Have the power to suspend and/or cancel the membership of any DEAs whose work falls below acceptable standards, or who does not adhere to a strict code of conduct
• Ensure that there are proper procedures in place for complaints and redress
• Keep a public register of their members.

We are proud to be accredited to Northgate – as we believe that they replicate our standards of professionalism and reliability. We also believe that they supply the most comprehensive software packages to collate the data and produce the related EPC.

The energy rating can help rent out your property. They indicate to a prospective buyer or tenant how energy efficient your home is. It should also provide information that may help to reduce the running cost of the property.

Yes. The EU requires that Energy Performance Certificates will need to be provided for all buildings when they are constructed, sold or rented.

For buildings that are to be sold, the building's owner will be responsible for ensuring a certificate is available; this should be shown, on request, to any prospective purchaser, and should in any case be provided by the owner to the ultimate purchaser before a contract for sale is made.

Yes. The EU Directive requires that Energy Performance Certificates will need to be provided for all buildings when they are constructed, sold or rented out. A new Energy Performance Certificate will be required for the Home Information Pack. Where the Energy Performance Certificate is provided separately from a Home Information Pack, an existing Energy Performance Certificate may be used as long as it is still valid.

The following buildings are exempt from requiring an EPC:

• Places of worship
• Stand-alone buildings of less than 50 square metres (except for dwellings)
• Temporary buildings with a planned time of use of 2 years or less
• Particular buildings with low energy demand (e.g. barns)
• In certain limited circumstances, buildings to be demolished are exempt from requiring a certificate
• An Energy Performance Certificate is not required for any (off-plan) sales or lettings before the construction of the building has been completed

The Directive itself makes no distinction between the two. There will need to be some practical differences - for example the methodology for certification will need to be different to reflect differences in the way in which homes and commercial property are built and used, but wherever possible we are seeking to minimise the differences. We have already developed a detailed approach for the Energy Performance Certificate that forms part of the HIP for the marketed sales of dwellings. Wherever relevant this will form the model that will be applied in other sectors, such as private rented dwellings, social housing and commercial buildings.

The price of an energy performance certificate will be set by the market and not by Government. We expect these costs to vary according to the size, type and location of the property.

The current predicted cost of a standalone Energy Performance Certificate for an 'average' home is approximately £100. However, market forces will determine the actual price.

For other buildings, the cost will depend on the size and complexity of the building.

Improving the energy efficiency of your home can mean either making changes to the building, or simply changing your behaviour to save energy. Energy Performance Certificates will give you advice on both of these areas.

Here is a list of some of the measures that the certificate might recommend:

• Low-energy light bulbs. These last up to 12 times longer and use around 80 per cent less energy than traditional filament bulbs.
• Hot water tank jackets. These cost from around £10, and can cut heat loss by around 75 per cent.
• Loft insulation. Fitting insulation that is at least 250mm thick could cut heat loss by around 30 per cent
• Cavity wall insulation. If you have unfilled cavity walls, installing insulation could cut heat loss by over 30 per cent.

The cost of the measures recommended will vary, but the certificate will distinguish between those that cost under £500 (such as those above) and those that could cost more, such as double glazing or new heating systems. The certificate will also list further measures that will help achieve the highest possible ratings for the home, but which could be expensive and will take more than seven years to repay their cost in energy savings.

IThere are also simple ways that you can improve your energy efficiency, simply by changing how you use your home:

• Check that your heating system thermostat isn't set too high (21 degrees centigrade in the living room is suggested), and use the timer or programmer so you only heat your home when necessary.
• Make sure your hot water isn't too hot. Your cylinder thermostat shouldn't need to be set higher than 60 degrees C/140 degrees F.
• Turn off lights when they aren't needed, and don't leave appliances on standby. Remember not to leave chargers (for example, those for mobile phones) turned on when you aren't using them.

Energy Assessors (through their Accreditation Schemes) lodge them as they produce them, and each is given a unique reference number. Access to the database is restricted, so only those who have the unique reference number can access the certificate for a particular property.

This is the area of the website that is available to our Business Partners - here they can see our Diary. This gives our partners the ability to guage when we may be available to perform an Energy Assessment. This gives our partners an advantage when discussing timings of appointments with their clients.

It has no effect on the requirement for an EPC. You still need to arrange an EPC when you start selling the house. However, the recommendations that the EPC provides may be affected due to the circumstances. This needs to be discussed with the DEA at the time of assessment.

Definitely not. None of our forms ask for this information. If you are asked for this information by an EPC Provider, you need to consider why? AccuRating Ltd certainly does not alter its pricing based upon Property Value.

Potential buyers have a right to a copy of an EPC and this should be provided within 14 days of a request. Sellers (or their marketing agent) are entitled to make a reasonable charge to cover copying and postage costs. This may be provided electronically on-line or as a PDF file on a CD or pen drive, or as a printed hard copy.

If you believe that you are being denied a copy of the pack unlawfully, local authority trading standards officers are responsible for enforcement of these duties.

Note however, the seller or agent can refuse to provide a copy in certain limited cases. These are where the seller believes that the person making the request:

• Can not afford the property
• Is not really interested in buying the property
• Is not a person to whom the seller would wish to sell the property (but this does not allow them to unlawfully discriminate against someone).

It is a Government requirement that an EPC is performed by a qualified DEA accredited to a Government licensed organisation (like Northgate).

Would you have had the time even if you were legally able to perform an EPC? AccuRating can usually provide a complete pack within a reasonable period and are fully acquainted with the administration requirements associated with performing the EPC.

There are also legal and financial implications:

What if, by mistake or otherwise, the information contained in the EPC is incorrect and a Buyer makes a legal challenge after buying the property? AccuRating Ltd is covered by indemnity insurance in the event of a successful claim against them up to the value of £250,000.

No. A professional EPC inspection is an examination of the current energy efficiency and the effect on the environment. The house will therefore neither pass nor fail.

If you are a seller, it is not a legal requirement that you must be present, however, it is highly recommended that you are. In addition to security and heath & safety issues, the Inspector will probably be asking questions that you may be able to answer. However, it is essential that there are no minors left in “control” of the property. If this was the case, the DEA will need to re-arrange the inspection.

If you are an agent then we will always request that the seller or another ‘responsible person’ is present. When this is not possible, special arrangements can be made.

Yes, within reason and potentially subject to expenses – especially if the client is known to AccuRating Ltd.

When the 2004 Housing Act was written by the Government, it was deliberately written using ‘plain English’ rather than ‘legalese’. In the act, the term ‘Seller’ is used rather than ‘vendor’.

• The EPC is not a valuation on the property
• The EPC is not a Home Condition Report
• The EPC will not tell you what the fuel bills will be
• The EPC will not give advice on suppliers/installers who could undertake the work to improve the energy efficiency