How do you lower your Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) and both Energy and Environmental Ratings

Alnat1

GValue said:

@Alnat1 I was hoping to do a bit of both everyone wants a warm home, with low heating costs, so I thought it was possible to reduce the drafts, insulate and regulate the heat and energy use. Are you telling me it's a pipedream?

The EPC only includes a set list of things to give the score and isn't really keeping up with technology. The suggested improvements are often very expensive and don't actually save much energy/money. 

I can look at EPCs for several identical houses on our street which have been given different scores. All were built in 2003, none have replaced the original windows but ratings show average or good on different properties. Heating controls with same answers rated average or good too. Some state the rating can only be improved to C but 1 house has a B. It all depends on who does the survey.

I think what I'm trying to say is forget about the EPC score and simply concentrate on things that save energy, get the simple things done first, block draughts, get a chimney sheep in unused fireplaces, top up loft insulation, get thermal curtain linings etc.

Then start to work out where the big money is best spent, new boiler or ASHP, solar PV, battery storage.

Chrysalis

Wasnt even aware LED bulbs count, as I thought the EPC is primarily about heat retention.

I know the reason my property has a really bad EPC grade is listed on the certificate itself.

1 - low efficiency boiler.

2 - no thermostat controls on central heating.

3 - single glazed at front of property.

4 - no wall insulation.

5 - no roof insulation.

6 - poorly insulated door.

I am considering reminding my landlord property doesnt meet rental EPC criteria once S21 is banned (F), but I expect it wont be productive for me so am strongly leaning to not doing it.

FreeBear

GValue said:

@FreeBear was your Baxi a combi boiler? Mine is just a basic water boiler, but better controls sounds a great idea

Baxi Bermuda - Very old (non-condensing) back boiler with an ugly gas fired front. Gravity fed hot water from a tank heated by the Baxi.

markin

Chrysalis said:

Wasnt even aware LED bulbs count, as I thought the EPC is primarily about heat retention.

I know the reason my property has a really bad EPC grade is listed on the certificate itself.

1 - low efficiency boiler.

2 - no thermostat controls on central heating.

3 - single glazed at front of property.

4 - no wall insulation.

5 - no roof insulation.

6 - poorly insulated door.

I am considering reminding my landlord property doesnt meet rental EPC criteria once S21 is banned (F), but I expect it wont be productive for me so am strongly leaning to not doing it.

The score is calculated from Primary Energy use and Cost, And is why a gas boiler scores better than than a heatpump, and why LEDs and Solar PV are a good jump in score.

Qyburn

Chrysalis said:

Wasnt even aware LED bulbs count, as I thought the EPC is primarily about heat retention.

That's another one of the many stupidities with EPCs. They score according to what percentage of lights have "low energy bulbs" fitted. A light fitting with no bulb at all at time of inspection counts as "not low energy" so worsens the score.. 

Krakkkers

On my epc certificate before i got 4kwp solar it said i would gain 2 points for a new boiler and 10 points for 2.5kwp of panels.

[Deleted User]

The EPC has had its day. The database is managed by BRE. BRE will only include a particular system (eg; a Smart Control system) if the manufacturer has made its equipment available for testing. Most manufacturers like to do their own testing. For example, a Honeywell Evohome control system with eTVRs etc will be treated for EPC purposes a 2 zoned home with standard TRVs.

GazHol

Make sure you check though the inputs the EPC assessor puts into the software. We found a bug in the EPC calculation for our previous house, our condensing boiler heated both rads and the hot water tank, yet the software couldn’t cope with this. After ~20min trying out different combinations we finally managed to get the right output “Good” in both cases. It didn’t make a difference to the rating, but did reduce the number a bit.
We improved the temperature in the dining room by putting thin foam insulation strips under the black rubber seals of the French windows, this finally gave a good seal against southerly winds.