ENERGY PERFORMANCE CERTIFICATES - Landlord Fact sheet
Why do I need an Energy Performance Certificate
for my rental property?
You may be aware of Energy Performance Certificates (EPCs) in relation to
Home Information
Packs (HIPS); however the EPC is part of a much larger programme initiated
by the EU called the
Energy of Buildings Directive (EBPD). The EU made this directive law and as
such every EU
Country must have systems in place, by the end of this year, for EPCs to be
carried out on all
residential and commercial buildings at point of sale or rent.
The UK Government have already implemented this in the sales process of
residential property
via Home Information Packs.
The role out to residential property rentals is already underway; however, it
will become
mandatory to have an EPC for property being marketed for rent on October 1st
2008.
Under these new rules, landlords will need to provide an EPC to all prospective
tenants and
provide a hard copy to the selected tenant. However, you will not need to
provide an EPC to
tenants that renew their contracts as it is not necessary to supply an EPC to an
existing tenant.
The EPC is intended to help prospective tenants compare the energy efficiency of
various
properties.
What is included in the EPC?
There are two ratings on the front page of the EPC: The Energy Efficiency Rating
and the
Environmental Impact (C02) Rating. Both are based on a scale of A to G, where A
is the best. In
addition the front page also shows an estimate of the energy required to provide
heating,
lighting and hot water, which includes an estimated cost to tenants.
The certificate also includes a Recommendation Report which will outline any
potential
improvements that would make a difference to the energy consumption of the
building. This
includes details of the approximate cost of improvements and the difference each
improvement would make to the performance rating and the impact this would have
on the
cost of energy provision for the property.
The inspection will include assessment of the construction, heating/hot
water, windows and
insulation of the property. All of this information will be fed into a computer,
which will
calculate ratings and generate a certificate.
Where do I get my EPCs and how much will they cost?
EPCs are carried out by fully qualified and accredited Domestic Energy Assessors
(DEAs) and
could cost in the region of £100 come October. Each property will require an EPC
which will
last for 10 years.
We have put together a very competitive pre October pricing schedule
dependent on the
number of properties in your portfolio.
1 – 5 £70.00 per Property
5 – 10 £67.00 per Property
10 -20 £65.00 per Property
Over 20 properties £62.00
If you wish to order an EPC please go to www.ealassessments.co.uk
Create an account, which only takes 2 minutes. You can then instruct your EPC,
which will take
no longer than 1 minute per property.
You will need to pay for your EPC/s using a credit or debit card.
If you have a portfolio of property please email info@epcassessments.co.uk with
a list of the
property and the input will be organised by EPC Assessments Ltd and payment
arranged over
the phone.
You will be able to see the progress of your EPC instructions online and view
all your completed
EPCs via your account.
What impact will EPCs have on the environment?
The Energy Saving Trust have estimated that the average property owner could
save over £300
a year on fuel bills related to their property by carrying out the basic
recommendations in the
EPC. Indeed, if only one fifth of homeowners made the basic changes set out in
their EPC,
collectively they could save around £100m a year on energy bills and cut carbon
emissions
equivalent to taking 100 cars off the road.
Energy Assessment Ltd
24 Stanley Road,
Stourbridge,
West Midlands,
DY8 2DN
Tel: 0845 094 0891 Email: info@energyassessment.biz
Website: www.energyassessment.biz