EPC Rating D?

FreeBear

trdlo09 said: Roof  Pitched, 200 mm loft insulation  Good
Main heating control  Programmer, room thermostat and TRVs  Good

Put another 100mm of insulation in the loft on top of what is already there.

Get a programmable thermostat that allows you to set different temperatures throughout the day/week.

You might get another couple of points on the EPC. The extra insulation will save a small amount on heating costs (probably not enough to notice). The programmable thermostat will potentially save up to 15% according to some sources. In reality, it may well save 5% which is certainly worth having.

Insulating the floors & walls is hugely expensive, and you are unlikely to recover the cost via energy savings in your lifetime. So I'd leave those on the meh list unless you are fortunate to qualify for a grant. That said, if you get involved in doing any major renovations internally, putting some insulated plasterboard on the external walls is well worth doing and doesn't add much to the overall budget. I'm slowly redecorating *this house, and am putting ~75mm of Celotex on the external walls. It adds about £200 to the bill for each room. Not going to save enough in heating costs over 10 years to cover the investment, but it has made a huge difference in comfort levels in the rooms I've done already. Really don't give a fig about the EPC score..

Maahes

My detached house is rated D, warmest house I've ever lived in.

badger09

To be honest, that EPC sounds ok. As said, increasing loft insulation & a programmable CH timer will save money. Stopping drafts & thermal lined curtains are also quick wins. 

Expensive replacements which might be necessary sooner rather than later, depending on their age & condition, are the boiler, windows & doors but you can find out how old they are & budget as necessary. 

Good luck. 

trdlo09

Thank you all for the precious advice. As you suggest, I will have a look at the walls, ceiling, damp, insulation and go from there. I won't be discouraged if the house is worthy!

edgex

trdlo09 said:

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! 

The EPC letters tell you how 'efficient' the property is, not what it costs to heat/light.
A 5bed detached with EPC B could easily cost more to heat than a 2bed mid-terrace with a D.

Use the EPC items as a list of things; cant change, might change, wont change
For example, with your example property, if there were refurb works needed downstairs, & the flooring is suspended wooden floors, & you didn't have to move in straight away, then adding floor insulation would be on the 'might change' list & you'd get it done before moving in. You would do it before changing a boiler.
If they're solid concrete, then they go on the 'cant or wont' list.

Albermarle

trdlo09 said:

Thank you all for the precious advice. As you suggest, I will have a look at the walls, ceiling, damp, insulation and go from there. I won't be discouraged if the house is worthy!

Also worth knowing that a new modern gas boiler will use less gas than an older one ( exactly how much will depend on how old the current boiler is). However the modest savings will never justify in them selves, the significant outlay for a new boiler. 

FreeBear

Albermarle said:

trdlo09 said:

Thank you all for the precious advice. As you suggest, I will have a look at the walls, ceiling, damp, insulation and go from there. I won't be discouraged if the house is worthy!

Also worth knowing that a new modern gas boiler will use less gas than an older one ( exactly how much will depend on how old the current boiler is). However the modest savings will never justify in them selves, the significant outlay for a new boiler. 

Depending on how old the boiler is, a new boiler might save 20% on gas. A smart(er) thermostat, another 5-10%.

Replaced my ancient Baxi back boiler last year, and if anything, gas consumption has increased by 15%. But I'm already a low user, so 500kWh extra is a big percentage.

If I were to replace the boiler now, I'd give serious consideration to a heat pump. With a grant of £7500 available and no requirement to do EPC recommended insulation upgrades, the numbers (for me) stack up in favour of a heat pump.

trdlo09

So would you say for example that the suggestion to install solar panels on that EPC report I pasted on here is tailor-made (i.e., based on the actual structure of that specific property - research has been made, etc.) or is it just a random one that I could easily swap for a heat pump instead? 

BarelySentientAI

A standard suggestion - if the property doesn't have them it almost always gets listed.

RAS

trdlo09 said:

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! 

You'd be amazed at what decent curtains can do to reduce heat loss and gain. Find charity shops or second hand exchanges in wealthier areas.

And draught exclude at skirting level etc.