BTL EPC and requirements going forward; how to go from D to C?

fivesmaster

Hi all,
Our BTL is currently a D rated EPC. I know that as a landlord we may have to move it to a C rating in a couple of years so am looking for cheapest way to do this. Is there anyone on here who has experience of this area and can give advice? 



Following their own recommendations, I can see it recommends we install:

Solar photovoltaic panels, 2.5 kWp

and that would move it to a C rating but that is £3-5000!

The loft is insulated but boarded and I wonder if this is why they stated: 

Roof	Pitched, no insulation (assumed)	Very poor

So is it simply a case of either lifted up all the boards to show evidence, or even laying insulation on top of the boards just before the assessor comes round?

I hope this all makes sense and any advice is greatly appreciated.
Thanks

anselld

How much insulation?  To get the maximum benefit it should be 270-300mm so you could lift the boards, top up the insulation and re-board using loft legs.

It seems odd that the assessor has assumed no insulation and then not recomended it.  These EPCs are not very reliable at the best of times and only ever as good as the assessor on the day.

PS..  based on that assessment you only get to C by doing all four recomendations, you can't just do number 4 on its own.

fivesmaster

anselld said:

How much insulation?  To get the maximum benefit it should be 270-300mm so you could lift the boards, top up the insulation and re-board using loft legs.

It seems odd that the assessor has assumed no insulation and then not recomended it.  These EPCs are not very reliable at the best of times and only ever as good as the assessor on the day.

PS..  based on that assessment you only get to C by doing all four recomendations, you can't just do 4 on its own.

Thank you for this. Regarding insulation, I was intending to not lift up the boards but simply to lay new insulation down as this would be easier and quicker. 

I did not realise I had to do all 4 recommendations to get to C! This means going with each would require more than £10K!

anselld

fivesmaster said:

anselld said:

How much insulation?  To get the maximum benefit it should be 270-300mm so you could lift the boards, top up the insulation and re-board using loft legs.

It seems odd that the assessor has assumed no insulation and then not recomended it.  These EPCs are not very reliable at the best of times and only ever as good as the assessor on the day.

PS..  based on that assessment you only get to C by doing all four recomendations, you can't just do 4 on its own.

Thank you for this. Regarding insulation, I was intending to not lift up the boards but simply to lay new insulation down as this would be easier and quicker. 

That would work but you may still not get credit for any insulation depth which is under the boards.

FreeBear

fivesmaster said:

anselld said:

How much insulation?  To get the maximum benefit it should be 270-300mm so you could lift the boards, top up the insulation and re-board using loft legs.

It seems odd that the assessor has assumed no insulation and then not recomended it.  These EPCs are not very reliable at the best of times and only ever as good as the assessor on the day.

PS..  based on that assessment you only get to C by doing all four recomendations, you can't just do 4 on its own.

Thank you for this. Regarding insulation, I was intending to not lift up the boards but simply to lay new insulation down as this would be easier and quicker. 

I did not realise I had to do all 4 recommendations to get to C! This means going with each would require more than £10K!

Look at the points you score for each "improvement". 10 points for solar panels, and then 1 point for LED bulbs in all fittings (cheap and a no-brainer upgrade). That would scrape you through to a C rating. Extra loft insulation is cheap, simple, and worth doing even if it doesn't get any extra credit on the EPC.

Insulating the floors & walls are both expensive and disruptive, requiring a period of void vacancy. But in the long term, will benefit your tenants and improve the value of your asset.

fivesmaster

Thank you all for your advice. I genuinely thought this 3 bed terrace was very well insulated, and is certainly far more than the house we actually live in. 

Is there a checklist with the scoring system somewhere, so I can see for myself the points and how they are awarded, I feel like I am half guessing here.

fivesmaster

Well, having just compared to a neighbour's house, they have achieved a C rating, and it looks like the difference is minimal (loft insulation I think does it). What I don't understand is why their double glazing and cavity wall is rated as 'good', whereas ours is 'average'!
@anselld what do you make of this? It gives me hope that getting another assessor out will solve this when the time comes.

fivesmaster

this is ours above

FreeBear

fivesmaster said: Well, having just compared to a neighbour's house, they have achieved a C rating, and it looks like the difference is minimal (loft insulation I think does it). What I don't understand is why their double glazing and cavity wall is rated as 'good', whereas ours is 'average'!

Can't comment on the CWI... But with windows, their age can make a difference. I had 14mm sealed units that would have been graded as "poor". The new ones, fitted last year, should be "very good".

Minimum requirements for thermal performance has increased bit by bit over the years, so depending on the age, a rating of "average" may be appropriate.

anselld

As FB has mentioned the devil is in the detail, though you would think one cavity filled wall is much the same as another!

The assessor can certainly improve benefit of doubt.   If I needed a new assessment I would be inclined to pick the assessor who has given the highest scores locally - their contact details are all on the forms.

I have found the one I recommended reasonably generous but it may be safer to go for the one who did nextdoor once you have the insulation and lighting sorted.

fivesmaster

Hi @FreeBear and @anselld thank you both for your comments, all of which are useful. Yes, I can see all the names of the assessors so will look into that but fingers crossed it is fairly straightforward to get to a C rating. Thank you both and have a good xmas!