EPB: Energy Performance Certificates

In August 2008 the Department of Finance and Personnel wrote to estate agents throughout Northern Ireland. The purpose of this correspondence was to remind them of the statutory obligation imposed on the seller to make a valid EPC available to prospective buyers of dwellings (although the Regulations do not impose any legal duty on estate agents themselves).

To download a pdf version of the correspondence please see

The Department issued a further letter to estate and letting agents on 18 March 2009, to remind them again of the statutory obligations of their clients and to advise them that officials will be randomly checking marketed property for EPCs.

To download a pdf version of this correspondence please see

To download a pdf version of the brief guide entitled "Energy Performance Certificates For Dwellings" which was distributed during these visits please see epc_flyer.pdf

Energy certificates show the energy performance rating of a building. The idea is similar to the well-established energy labels for the sale of white goods such as fridges and washing machines.

Two types of energy certificate are required in different circumstances: Energy Performance Certificates (EPCs) for all buildings when they are constructed, sold or rented out; and Display Energy Certificates (DECs) for large, public buildings occupied by public authorities or institutions providing a public service to a large number of persons and therefore frequently visited by those persons.

The requirements are being introduced on a phased basis as follows:

These certificates are for all buildings and will be required whenever a building is constructed, sold or rented.

Its purpose is to record the energy efficiency a property. The certificate will provide a rating of the energy efficiency and carbon emissions of a building from A to G, where A is very efficient and G is very inefficient.

EPCs are produced using standard methods with standard assumptions about energy usage so that the energy efficiency of one building can easily be compared with another building of the same type. This allows prospective buyers, tenants, owners, and occupiers to see information on the energy efficiency and carbon emissions from their building so they can consider energy efficiency and fuel costs as part of their investment decision.

An EPC should always be accompanied by a recommendation report that lists cost effective and other measures (such as low and zero carbon generating systems) to improve the energy rating of the building. The certificate is also accompanied by information about the rating that could be achieved if all the recommendations were implemented.

For homes, two ratings are shown, actual and potential. 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.

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 if 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.

(To download a pdf version of the above section see home_epc.pdf - PDF 84KB).

You can commission an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) yourself or, for example, it may be commissioned by an agent such as an Estate Agent. EPCs can only be provided by an accredited energy assessor. Energy assessors may be self employed or employees of service organisations such as Estate Agents, Conveyancers or energy companies.

Once you (or your agent) have commissioned an EPC, your energy assessor will receive basic details from you and will then arrange to come and visit your property to do the assessment.

During the assessment the energy assessor will be collecting information about your property, how and when it was constructed, the type of property (e.g. house, bungalow, mid-terraced, detached etc.), number of habitable rooms (which excludes kitchens, bathrooms, hallways, stairs and landings), dimensions of the building and the number of floors, amount and type of glazing (i.e. single or double glazing), heating systems and fuel used.

This information will be fed into an approved software programme using a Government approved standard energy assessment method.

The software produces the certificate and the recommendation report for your property.

The energy assessor will record the certificate onto the Northern Ireland register which is available at www.niepcregister.com and then provide you with a copy.

The pdf files below contain excerpts from the various types of certificates.

(Please note that the information is for illustrative purposes only).

Non-dwellings (non-domestic)

To download a comprehensive guide to EPCs for the construction, sale and rental of non-dwellings please see

The Department of Communities and Local Government in England (DCLG) has produced a video about a building assessment for an EPC:

For a transcript of the video see transcript.pdf (PDF 23KB).