Keeping your property as energy efficient as possible not only helps you or tenants pay less money for electricity and heating each month, but when the time comes, it will be easier to sell or let your property!
Thankfully, there are a few quick and easy ways you can improve your EPC rating.
What is the EPC rating?
An Energy Performance Certificate is the rating scheme used to evaluate how energy efficient and environmentally friendly a building is. The EPC rating is measured on a scale of 1-100, with “A” being the best score of between 92-100.
What does an EPC measure?
An energy performance certificate focuses on measuring factors like, how much power a property uses and its carbon dioxide emissions.
Once a property has received a rating, its EPC will include areas where energy can be reduced, further saving money – as well as the planet!
The process to get an EPC is pretty straightforward:
- The homeowner would need to find an accredited domestic-energy assessor to inspect the property.
- The assessor will measure the size of the building.
- They will then analyse how the property was built, as well as its current heating system.
- Photographs of the building, relating to the assessment, will be taken as reference.
- The energy performance certificate will be issued.
Ways to improve EPC rating
To secure the best EPC rating possible for a building, owners should consider doing home eco-improvements before having an inspector rate the property.
Here are a couple of tips on how you can improve your EPC rating:
1. Loft insulation
Adding loft insulation can cut your energy bills by up to £215 a year.
Loft insulation blocks heat from entering your home in the summer and stops heat escaping during the winter.
This results in a cooler home in the summer and warmer in the winter.
2. Use LED light bulbs
An even easier way to improve your EPC rating is by switching up all your light bulbs with much more energy-efficient LED ones.
3. Wall insulation
Cavity wall insulation will significantly reduce heating bills.
Buildings with solid walls could settle with just insulating the external walls to lessen costs.
4. Double-glazing windows
Double glazing will not only minimize the amount of heat escaping through them, they will also help to reduce the carbon footprint of a home.
5. Upgrading your boiler
Upgrading to an energy-efficient boiler one can raise an EPC score by as much as 40 points.
The minimum EPC rating for a building is 39 – meaning, the property could reach the compliance standard in one upgrade.
Alternatively, a more cost-effective option is to insulate the hot water cylinder.
For a homeowner to increase their EPC rating, taking on insulation, double glazing, and heating all at once, instead of one project at a time, could be more cost-effective. If a building is eco-efficient enough, it could be eligible for certain benefits, not to mention how attractive it will be to property buyers or renters.
