EPC - What is the point?

katepower

Hello all, I'm currently attempting to make my parents' home more energy efficient. It is not a particularly old house but it is absolutely freezing, to the point where I had to switch the heating on last night! I'm thinking about getting an EPC done as the property has never had it, and I thought it might inform us as to what the issues are regarding why the property is so cold. Is this the best way of finding this out or should I be doing something else instead? Many thanks.

tacpot12

I’m not sure I would bother with an epc, but a chat with a good energy assessor could give you a list of the improvements that would make a difference. However, a little bit of internet research would probably produce the same result and be cheaper. 

The solution will to draught-proof extensively, but ensuring some ventilation remains. Loft hatches, doors, windows, extractor fans, vented tumble dryers vents and the gaps between floorboard and under skirting boards can all allow cold air to come in too easily. 

Insulating under the floor if it is accessible from a cellar or other route can be very good. The loft should have 300mm of insulation. The walls are the hardest thing to insulate. Internal insulation is very disruptive and external insulation is very difficult to do correctly. 

QrizB

How old is "not particularly old"? Do you know the date of construction?

katepower

It was built in the 1970s apparently. It had an extension in 2000.

mnbvcxz

The EPC register is public. If you put in postcodes near your parents house you can see if similar houses have had an EPC. Have a read and see if they look like they would be useful to you. Once you are familiar with them you can probably guess what your parents house would achieve yourself fairly easily. Your parents may know their house more accurately than and epc inspector anyway.  It's not a very highly skilled profession. 

FreeBear

katepower said: It was built in the 1970s apparently. It had an extension in 2000.

So cavity walls, (possibly) solid concrete floors, and single glazed timber framed windows & doors.

Cavity wall insulation will save a little bit, but should only be done if the house is in a sheltered position, otherwise it could cause problems.

Not a lot you can do with concrete floors, but I have found a layer of woodfibre underlay helps, even under carpet.

If the property still has original single glazed windows, replacing with modern double glazing is a no-brainer - Well fitted windows will cut the heat loss dramatically and kill any draughts coming in round the frames. Not particularly cheap though (£5K to £6K for an average semi).

Shouldn't need to mention loft insulation, but it is one of the cheapest energy saving measures out there. Easy enough for most active people to fit themselves in most lofts.. Minimum recommended level is 270mm, but 300mm is (marginally) better.

Patr100

Even with a visit for an EPC when selling, there's a of "assumed" details in the final certificate.
It's often an approximation. or common sense   ( You can save by having low energy lights  - well --doh! Who'd have thought?)
Look at how the place is heated (efficiency? ) and where the heat is escaping (insulation etc)

Nebulous2

FreeBear said:

katepower said: It was built in the 1970s apparently. It had an extension in 2000.

Not a lot you can do with concrete floors, but I have found a layer of woodfibre underlay helps, even under carpet.

We've used that stuff, and found it very good, under laminate. It was good for deadening the sound as well. 

I get the impression it's thinner now, compared to when we got ours. 

Qyburn

EPC is useless unless the property is very standard. Our surveyor said he had to rate our flat roof as "uninsulated" as it couldn't be physically verified, the installers quote and invoice was not sufficient. For our current house the loft and attic rooms again are rated as "uninsulated" because their question was more or less "does it have at least 400mm insulation?",  yes or no. So 200mm rates the same as none, and for attic bedrooms there's no space for any more.

I looked at the EPC for our neighbour, and it recommended a wind turbine! Firstly whats that got to do with the energy efficiency of the house, secondly who but an imbecile would recommend a wind turbine in a low wind location, in a valley and surrounded by mature trees?

markin

Loft insulation, modern condensing boiler? And Solar PV is what will keep the bills low.

Stubod

EPC are ususally carried out by people who have only ever completed a basic course to get "certified", and (in my experience) have no real actual / practical knowledge. They just seem to tick a few boxes and the computer does the rest. We were advised by our "advisor" that if we had a new generation storage heater we wouldd only need one to heat the whole house (??). The report also said it would be more efficient if we had insulation between the garage (underneath the house) and the living room above, and for this the house got a lower rating....even though it had been built with this insulation already in place......not really worth the paper they are written on IMHO.

I would love to get a "proffesional/expert" energy advisor in and pay for some real advice, but after 12 months of trying / googling, I can't actually find one!