If your home has been bought, sold or put on the rental market in the last ten years then it will have an Energy Performance Certificate, known simply as an EPC.
These certificates are generated by an energy assessor who would have made an inspection of the building and entered the data into a software tool, that software then crunched the numbers and calculated a score from 1 to 100 with a corresponding band from A (the most efficient) to G (the least efficient).
An important feature of the software is that it generates energy efficiency recommendations which are specific to the building, the recommendations are ranked in an order showing those with the highest ‘bang-for-your-buck’ at the top.
These recommendations are not perfect, but they do serve to highlight which options could be considered to improve the building, and in the case of some items like loft insulation, low energy lighting and improved heating controls the recommendations can be acted upon relatively quickly.
Upgraded homes key to lower bills.
Looking into the future there is little chance that energy bills will return to pre-2021 levels within this decade, so any investments made to improve homes have a much shorter payback than a few years ago. This means that the more complicated jobs that might be recommended on the EPC such as wall and floor insulation may well be worth talking to an installer about.
Lastly, there is a significant upgrade that any DIY’er can do for a few pounds, and that is draughtproofing. Estimates vary, but it’s fair to say that at as much as 30% of heat from average UK homes can be lost in leaks from chimneys, around doors and windows and from poorly fitting letterboxes, which can be done with simple self-adhesive materials from your local hardware shop.
Next steps.
If you want to see your EPC and its recommendations just search the net for ‘find my EPC’ and you’ll soon find the government website with that info. And have a feel around your doors and windows from unwanted draughts, close them up and start saving today!
Have you downloaded your EPC and are unsure what to do next? If so, please contact Stephen Cockett at Wight Community Energy.