Per Legal Notice 47 of 2018, a property which is constructed, sold or rented must have an EPC certificate in place. Essentially, an EPC shows how energy-efficient the property is.
But what exactly does the EPC cover?
An Energy Performance Certificate gives information on the following:
– How much energy it uses for heating, cooling, hot water, lighting and ventilation.
– Its carbon dioxide emissions.
– Savings from renewable sources such photo-voltaics, solar water heater or reuse of rainwater.
– Suggested ways to reduce energy use and save money.
For the overall EPC rating, Residential EPC certificates are rated on an energy scale from 0 to 280 … with zero (in green) being the most energy efficient and having the cheapest fuel bills and on the opposite end (in red) as the least energy efficient.
To ensure that buildings are all tested in the same way, the EPC calculation software uses standard indoor and outdoor temperatures, solar radiation values etc. The EPC calculation software also assumes the total number of people in a building (based on floor area) as well as the time of day in which the building is occupied.
Differences between the standard conditions coded into the EPC software and real-life means that utility bills will never match exactly the EPC rating. The purpose of an EPC is not to predict utility bills as this is largely dependent on building users preferences.
The objective of an EPC is to report on building energy performance independently of building users. By doing so it is possible to focus on the building’s attributes such as orientation, thermal insulation, glazing area, solar shading, system efficiency, use of renewables sources and so on.
We hope the above has been helpful. Should you have any queries please do not hesitate to get in touch with us for further information. Alternatively, click here to book your EPC.
