EPC Rating D?

trdlo09

Hi all!

I'm new to the forum. My husband and I are looking to buy our first house and we have (very recently) started searching. Many things we are learning along the way, but something I'm still not quite sure about is the EPC rating.

I've had a search online and found that ideally the EPC should be C or higher if we want to save some money on the bills. Just to add a bit of info about our personal situation, we have saved for a deposit but we don't have much money to make extra works/renovations/major changes to the house we are buying, so we are looking for a place we are able to move straight into.

We have noticed that a few houses we like have EPC rating D, so here are my two questions: 

- Should I really discard these houses just for the rating? Is it that much of a difference a rating D from a C? Am I being naïve at following the guidelines on this? Their EPC potential is often C, what does this mean? Even if I make future changes to the house, I won't ever be able to reach B or A due to the house structure? 

- I read that things affecting the rating are the boiler, windows, led lighting. I've found houses with EPC rating D but with recently-fitted double glazed windows. Does this mean the boiler will be old and in need of replacement (which, I assume, is quite expensive, isn't it?) or might there be something else that lowers the rating (conservatories not well kept, etc.)?

Many thanks to everyone who will spare a moment to advise me!

NibblyPig

EPC ratings are all over the place, I would focus on looking at what you personally feel rather than using it as any kind of guide. Check the depth of the loft insulation, check if the walls are single skinned, check the height of the ceilings and if it's open plan or not, with multiple floors. Check carefully for signs of damp, move big furniture that is pressed up against walls to check behind it (especially on outside walls).

As for the boiler check if it's a system boiler or a combi boiler, and check the age of the boiler.

EPCs are often full of guesswork and the rules change periodically which changes the calculations.

I would only be concerned about what the EPC says if you are intending to rent it out in the future.

LED lighting will not really affect the EPC, it's often just 1 point or so. Loft insulation depth, and type/age of boiler are big considerations.

Slinky

Go and have a look and make your own decision. In my experience EPCs can be a bit hit and miss. When you read them, the assessors often make a lot of 'assumptions'. Our house was assumed to have no cavity wall insulation, which it does for example.  Simple things like adding extra loft insulation can be done by anyone with a reasonable level of fitness/skill for not a huge amount of money.  Sometimes you can actually find a link to the EPC on the estate agent's website, other times it's just the letter. If you can read the EPC it will give you more info on where they think the shortfalls are.

chanz4

perfect example my new build was a b, when came to sell it was classed as a c as windows were 10 years old and we didnt have a hive etc.  House was red hot

BarelySentientAI

trdlo09 said:

- Should I really discard these houses just for the rating? Is it that much of a difference a rating D from a C? Am I being naïve at following the guidelines on this? Their EPC potential is often C, what does this mean? Even if I make future changes to the house, I won't ever be able to reach B or A due to the house structure? 

Don't disregard anything based on an arbitrary scoring system that changes every few years and if three different assessors viewed the house they would come up with three different scores.

trdlo09 said:

- I read that things affecting the rating are the boiler, windows, led lighting. I've found houses with EPC rating D but with recently-fitted double glazed windows. Does this mean the boiler will be old and in need of replacement (which, I assume, is quite expensive, isn't it?) or might there be something else that lowers the rating (conservatories not well kept, etc.)?

You can read the full EPC for any property - they are all public.

https://www.gov.uk/find-energy-certificate

That will tell you what improvements are plausible and how much difference they would make (at the time that the certificate was written).  Just a guide, but might help you think.

If there are particular comments on the EPCs that you want help with, just come back here.

NameUnavailable

I don't think EPC's are fit for purpose, another idea that might have been good in theory but simply doesn't work well in practice.

Much is guesswork and or down to an individuals opinion (you can see different EPC's for what are basically the same properties i.e. look at blocks of flats or modern houses on estates).

It really needs an overhaul. Use it as a guide of course, but I wouldn't eliminate any property on the basis of an EPC.

Martyn_H

My 1930s semi is likely an E, which is par for the course. Apart from topping up the loft insulation, installing a combi boiler and double glazing, there's not much else I can do.

The most important things to me are location, local amenities, good schools, and how easy it would be to sell again.

Have a good look around the house, take a trusted friend or parents who can give a detached opinion and get a survey done if you're still keen.

I wouldn't worry too much about the difference between a C/D or D/E if you find your dream home.

Good luck!

Grizebeck

Complete waste of money

user1977

What's the EPC rating of the place you currently live in? Or other properties you're familiar with? That should give you an idea of how meaningful/meaningless the ratings are.

Newbie_John

https://www.gov.uk/find-energy-certificate

Check what it actually says there, or copy and paste it here. If it's D because not all bulbs are LED then it's all fine, but if it's D because all windows are single glazed, electric storage heater from 60s then you may worry about the costs.

trdlo09

Thank you all for your input! I am ashamed to say that I didn't know I could actually check the full report - I just found the rating on the agency's website and left it at that. Much more useful to read the full thing! 

My current EPC rating (I'm renting) is a bit low (E I think), and it kind of shows I have to say, that's why I wanted to 'upgrade' to a better one and see if any difference on the bills. 

Anyway, since you asked, this is an example of one of the houses with rating D I'm interested in: 

Wall  Cavity wall, filled cavity  Average
Roof  Pitched, 200 mm loft insulation  Good
Window  Fully double glazed  Average
Main heating  Boiler and radiators, mains gas  Good
Main heating control  Programmer, room thermostat and TRVs  Good
Hot water  From main system  Good
Lighting  Low energy lighting in all fixed outlets  Very good
Floor  Solid, no insulation (assumed)  N/A
Secondary heating  None  N/A

Doesn't look too bad, I think? The main advised improvement is to install solar panels to get to a C rating, which is something we are interested in anyway, but in the long run. 

If I find something else I don't really know the meaning of, I'll report it in on this thread. Thank you so much for your help!