Mis-sold an 'energy efficient' property by a builder.

Mankysteve

Go see a proper solicitor they'll be able to tell with a bit more authorty than people on here. But as other said energy efficiency is all relative unless you've got a fixed figure.

Gwhiz

Does anyone really believe the information on a glossy brochure enough to base a purchase on it?

I would also guess that the brochure has a disclaimer on it too.

Either way, this is going nowhere. Move on and chalk it up to experience.

sonastin

There is a chance that you have a claim but you've got some serious legwork and expense ahead of you to prove your case if you decided to go ahead. You would have to have a thorough investigation of the construction of the flat (not just a man and a clip board and some guesswork). You'll then have to investigate the standards operating in the construction industry in 2007 and the options available to the developer. If there was more that he could have done to make it more efficient without increasing the cost excessively then it is possible that by cutting those corners he's mis-sold the property. But if the standard of construction exceeds the building regs requirements of the day, it probably was a fair claim that this was an "energy efficient" property because there was stuff in there that was more efficient than the bog-standard requirement from building regs.

I would put more faith in the EPC being wrong than the builder making a claim that he is unable to back up if he's asked to prove it. Especially as he must be judged by the standards of the day, not required to have a crystal ball to tell him that EPCs will use different criteria to measure the efficiency of the flat in future.

tyllwyd

davidandrewlawrence wrote: »

....
I have had my doubts about this apartment being energy efficient since I got my first energy bill. All my central heating is through electric convection heaters and the boiler is electric (with no economy 7). There is no gas to the property. Electric bills have been huge. ...

Maybe you could reduce your bills by changing the way you use electricity? When you say the heating is electric convection heaters, is that all they are, or are they storage heaters? Unless they are storage heaters, I don't think Economy 7 would help, because they wouldn't be on at night. And what is the boiler heating, just a tank of hot water? Could you change the timings on the boiler to make sure you are only heating water when you need to use it? (or our electrician reommended keeping the tank heated constantly, so that you weren't heating an entire tank from cold all the time) If you do think you need Economy 7, is it possible to get it installed?

It might be easier/more efficient to look at what you can improve yourself rather than chasing after the builder with a rather vague complaint.

maninthestreet

OP - exactly how big are you electric bills??

F_T_Buyer

I think the only thing you can really do is to look at the building regulations in 2007 when they were built. You would then need to complain to the NHBC and take it that route, you might have to get a surveyor to check if it's built to the regulations (the insulation part).

nomoneytoday

If it had double glazing or cavity wall insulation for example it could be "efficient", compared to a property without IMHO