Energy Performance Certificates

Gorgeous_George

Ok, convince me that these are NOT worthless bits of paper.

For a start, what special equipmemt does a DEA need to perform his/her duties?

GG

chriserenity

To Scrummy Mummy RE your earlier post:

There are a number of bodies who licence inspectors to carry out EPCs. The easiest way to check if someone is accredited is by searching for them here: https://www.hcrregister.com/FindAssessorInspector If the person isn't listed they aren’t accredited and not licensed to produce an EPC.

EPCs are pretty low profile now. Most people don't know about them and so don't care about them. I'm willing to bet however that the EPC will become the de facto document tenants look at when deciding whether to rent a property. Spiralling energy prices, concern about global warming and the sheer visibility of a property's energy efficiency will raise awareness and so interest. I have no doubt efficient properties will be sought after and so may command higher rents while other traditional factors such as location and size will continue to be valued.

Bear in mind when thinking about grants that many of them are applied for by tenants so they will be means tested not the landlord e.g. this is warmfront's system.

I'm afraid the queue has already started building. We have been producing EPCs for local landlords for some time now but not the kind you read about in the press. Don't want to go into too much detail on here though. Marketing frowned on and all that

Are you referring to the multitude of pseudo-EPC tools available on the net e.g. the one on the Grittish Bas website - these tools can't be trusted as they are not impartial and make too many assumptions to be useful. They can show a property as being 2-3 bands away from their actual rating as shown by a genuine Energy Performance Certificate.

I would agree the quality of homes being built now leaves something to be desired but the part L building regs are in now so that will make a big difference.

chriserenity

Gingernutmeg wrote: »

I do approve of this scheme, but, like a lot of these ideas, I can't see it being of any practical use. Realistically, it's not going to make much difference to the tenants if there's no legal obligation to do anything.

I understand what you mean but I guess we'll see how it'll pan out. Either less efficient properties will command a smaller rent because of the expense of heating/lighting and more efficient properties will command a higher rent because it costs less to run.

We'll see ... :rolleyes:

chriserenity

subjecttocontract wrote: »

I've been renting various properties for 9 years and had more than a hundred tenants.....never once has anyone asked about energy performance/ consumption, cost of heating or insulation values.

Thats what alot of estate agents tell me when I do EPCs for residential sales but I would point out that the information wasn't there beforehand. The only way you were going to know if it was an expensive property to run was by living in it and getting your bills through the door.

Many people think EPCs will affect rented property in the same way as their equivalent affected white goods - How many places can you buy a C rated fridge or washing machine now and what % of new sales account for A rated appliances? A crude comparison I know but the logic is the same.

chriserenity

scrummy_mummy wrote: »

Besides...even if I was to 'improve' as a result of an inspection...how many people are then going to pay another (possible £200) to be reinspected and get a 'better' certification???

You've hit the nail on the head! This is the fundamental problem with the way EPCs are going to be implemented for the vast majority of landlords - EPC is required, EPC is done, shows the property as being horribly inefficient so it goes in a drawer for 10 years and is dusted off every 6 months or so. Any work done is not reflected in the report unless the landlord pays AGAIN to reproducee the EPC showing the improvements made.

Suffice to say we're not doing EPCs like this now for landlords and don't plan to after October either as its a complete waste of time for tenant and landlord.

chriserenity

chappers wrote: »

I assume it will be the same certificate as per HIPs basically a predetermined enery rating dependant on your location, type of house etc with afew extra comments thrown in pertinant to your particular property.

You are correct it will be identical to an EPC produced as part of a HIP but the rental EPC is valid for 10 years rather than 1. The energy rating/carbon rating is not dependent on location, it is dependent on 14-17 pieces of information about a property and the final outcome will further depend on 3-6 further items of information.

When renting or buying a house you don't need a certificate from someone who has been on a quick course to tell you that a house with double glazing, cavity insulation,loft insulation etc is going to be more energy efficient than one with rattly windows and no insulation as to the enery saved by the boiler, well to the costs of running a house leaving a door open for an extra five minutes a day probably negates that.

Actually you do need a certificate when you sell a house - its also a mandatory document in the HIP. As to your comments about the EPC not being needed as your average buyer/tenant can see by looking at a property the same information contained in the EPC I would say some people have some knowledge on this but most people don't. Most people we've done EPCs for have known next to nothing about how their building performs thermally. Also, the EPC will be a comparison tool. An 'at a glance' document which can be used to weigh up choices for tenants/buyers.

these certs are a waste of space, I might have some sympathy if the law stated that afull SAPs assesment had to be undertaken, but even that is not conclusive.
To be perfectly honest I'm getting pretty fed up that within the last couple of years you can't buy,sell or even look at something without being bombarded by the relevant energy efficiency/"green" aspects.
How about buying/renting a house because you like it or using which ever washing powder you want because it gets your clothes clean.

Bah humbug[/quote]

chriserenity

Gingernutmeg wrote: »

I always ask about those kinds of things, I never realised that it was an odd thing to do . Rent and bills are my priority, so it makes sense to me to ask what those are likely to be. I rented a place which had very old, single glazed windows, was on a windy corner in a block of flats and had zero insulation and it was a pain to heat (even the LA admitted that a lot of previous tenants had complained about that) so now I always have a look at the boiler, windows and ask about bills/heating costs etc. It's one reason why, when I leave a property, I'm quite willing to let potential tenants look round while I'm in, as I treat others as I want to be treated and if they want to ask me about council tax/water rates/heating bills then I'm happy to tell them what I've been paying.

Well, if EPCs become a real selling tool for landlords with efficient properties you will in a year or two be able to search for properties by EPC ratings so if efficiency is your priority you will be able to eliminate a swathe of poorly performing properties from your list of potentials.

Have a look at the example EPC I posted previously (its one of mine )

chriserenity

subjecttocontract wrote: »

Gingernutmeg,

Rent and bills are my priority, so it makes sense to me to ask what those are likely to be.

As a landlord I can always tell you how much the rent will be but I will have no idea of the heating bill as I don't live in any of my rental properties. I can tell you if its gas or electric, who the utility supplier is and the phone number of the previous tenant.......but I won't have a clue as to the cost of the heating bill.

The EPC won't help either of us on that score either.

Ok, fundamental point about the EPC: Its a tool of comparison primarily. This means it is not designed to tell the next tenant how much it will cost them to live there according to how THEY will use it. It is designed to tell the tenant how much a property will cost to run if one tenant moved into any property in the country and uses any one of those properties in exactly the same way i.e. has the lights on x hours per day, occupies the property for x hours in a week etc. Again, the EPC there to allow buyers/tenants to compare one property with another based on standard occupancy.

If you read the EPC example I posted it has the standard blurb on it about what standard occupancy means.

chriserenity

silvercar wrote: »

Do these reports judge things like terraced house will be better insulated, even without cavity wall insulation, than a detached? doubt it.

Yes, all things being equal a detached house would score much worse than a mid terraced house as there would be 2 party walls which would be heated so less opprotunity for heat to escape. Similarly a new detached house might fare worse than an old 1970s flat with flats either side of it and above/below with a heated corridor.

If cavity wall insulation isn't possible the energy assessor may recommend external or internal insulation depending on factors such as the aspect of the property and whether any planning restrictions exist e.g. conservation areas.

Gorgeous_George

Will a house on the North Sea coast score less well than an identical house in a warmer part of the country?

GG