EPCs 😒

[Poncherello1976]

Just had an EPC done on a property and it has come out as an F!
I was with the person when it was done and had a chat at the end about it and he said it would probably come out as a D. Which was fine as I knew I could do a few bits and pieces to the house if needed to get it higher. I am waiting to speak to the person about it and have left a message. Has anyone else had a similar thing occur and what have you done about it?
If I get another person to do an EPC will it come out any different or likely to still be an F. The score was a 32 so need to get to mid 50s to be a D. I can put in some Low energy light bulbs but how much will this add to the score? All the windows are double glazed, but the report says mostly, so I may be losing a few points there. I know there is a bit of loft insulation to put in which is fine. The boiler is only about 2 years old, but oil so I was not expecting good things from that. If this house is an F I dread to think what our house is! I just need to get to to an E to be able to let it, but appreciate that rules will change to make E unlettable in the future so may as well try and do something now if it is not too much work.

 

[How much]

The software they use for the should all be the same , it is sometimes updated and the assessors don't really know when that is or how it effects the score or so I was told anyway.

do you have another page that tells you how many points can be gained back with the suggested improvements, the granite wall is a big loss and if its not insulated , it will pay in the long term to insulate it internally , plus the roof loft insulation I would be surprised solar has not been mentioned on the improvement list that would help gain back few points also along with solar water heating also.

getting to C is going to be big issue on few proprieties, i have one that i just got into a F last year , but its a well made and insulated property , downside is is a bungalow with LPG heating that means there is lot of wall floor and roof and LPG is considered and expensive fuel , hopefully technology will come along and lend hand to get it to c in few years maybe tanked hydrogen or supper efficient electric boilers !!!! I live In Hope

 

[Poncherello1976]

Yes, my thought was putting in some internal insulation. We are doing work in the house anyway so that will be straight forward.
I think you confirmed what I was thinking. At this stage just get on with some simple jobs and then get another EPC done. No point doing another one now in the hope it is better.
These are the suggestions of what to do.

I am considering solar, but was hoping not to spend that much just until!

 

[maen]

Yes, my thought was putting in some internal insulation. We are doing work in the house anyway so that will be straight forward.
I think you confirmed what I was thinking. At this stage just get on with some simple jobs and then get another EPC done. No point doing another one now in the hope it is better.
These are the suggestions of what to do.
View attachment 1011037
I am considering solar, but was hoping not to spend that much just until!

If it was a Duchy property there would be no reason to worry!

 

[steveR]

Just had an EPC done on a property and it has come out as an F!
I was with the person when it was done and had a chat at the end about it and he said it would probably come out as a D. Which was fine as I knew I could do a few bits and pieces to the house if needed to get it higher. I am waiting to speak to the person about it and have left a message. Has anyone else had a similar thing occur and what have you done about it?
If I get another person to do an EPC will it come out any different or likely to still be an F. The score was a 32 so need to get to mid 50s to be a D. I can put in some Low energy light bulbs but how much will this add to the score? All the windows are double glazed, but the report says mostly, so I may be losing a few points there. I know there is a bit of loft insulation to put in which is fine. The boiler is only about 2 years old, but oil so I was not expecting good things from that. If this house is an F I dread to think what our house is! I just need to get to to an E to be able to let it, but appreciate that rules will change to make E unlettable in the future so may as well try and do something now if it is not too much work.
View attachment 1010968

You need a proper energy consultant, NOT just an assessor....

That way you will get some proper advice and guidance on how to get the Rating nearer your target, and not the rather useless stuff you have in the printout.

 

[Poncherello1976]

You need a proper energy consultant, NOT just an assessor....

That way you will get some proper advice and guidance on how to get the Rating nearer your target, and not the rather useless stuff you have in the printout.

Thanks. Anyone know a good Energy consultant round the Oxford area?

 

[Jerry]

EPC inspectors are universally useless.

The computer model they use is equally carp.

I have two 1 bed studio conversions let.

Loads of insulation where possible, triple glazed, both run hot water and heating of bottle gas. Only three rads in each and a shower. Warm as toast. they use about 3 47kg bottles a year.

But they want me to rip out the gas boilers and replace with oil.


But they want me to rip out the gas boilers and replace with oil.

The rear walls of both properties are below ground level, those walls feel warm all year.

Their models can account for they and say I need to insulate.

Costed the “improvements”, would be 20 year payback but no gain in running costs….rightly or wrongly i ignored their suggestions…

 

[theboytheboy]

You will get a different answer each time you do it from my experience. Try and find someone willing to work with you to get the result you need.......might need to pay a bit more though

Do the easy stuff, light bulbs, trvs on radiators, loft insulation, draught proofing etc.

May be worth paying for someone to do the loft insulation if access is an issue as it's give proof it's been done. I had one chap say that I may have just put insulation where he could see and not done the whole roof so he couldn't assume it was fully insulated!!!!!

Put a brand new to end blue flame boiler in....wasn't on the EPC software so couldn't get the points for it!

It's a complete joke to be honest and needs overhauling.

 

[steveR]

Thanks. Anyone know a good Energy consultant round the Oxford area?

Sadly, I don't think my chap will go that far, unless he is doing several properties.

I have put several farmers here in touch with him, and I think all found the difference between someone who knew the subject properly and could provide suggestions and ideas and tell you what the benefit would be in EPC ratings.

 

[Poncherello1976]

You will get a different answer each time you do it from my experience. Try and find someone willing to work with you to get the result you need.......might need to pay a bit more though

Do the easy stuff, light bulbs, trvs on radiators, loft insulation, draught proofing etc.

May be worth paying for someone to do the loft insulation if access is an issue as it's give proof it's been done. I had one chap say that I may have just put insulation where he could see and not done the whole roof so he couldn't assume it was fully insulated!!!!!

Put a brand new to end blue flame boiler in....wasn't on the EPC software so couldn't get the points for it!

It's a complete joke to be honest and needs overhauling.

Yes, going to do some small stuff, light bulbs, internal wall insulation, and the bit that is missing in the roof. Will look in to doing some bigger stuff though.
It just seems like another Farm Assurance scheme! Not really doing the job it should do.

 

[teslacoils]

I'd insulate the "very poor" roof, and upgrade all the lighting. Going from very poor to good likely to be a big jump.

 

[Godber]

Listed buildings are looked at differentlly and less stringent

 

[Old Tup]

I wonder how many people choose to instal the recommended Wind Turbine….
It seems to appear on virtually every EPC I have seen…
Tricky characters to deal with…their approach is if they cannot see something then they assume it isn’t there and cannot be persuaded that it is there….suppose receipts may help.
Listed Buildings….heard that if you spend I think £3k (recognition of LB difficulties) that is regarded as enough to get you up to lettable levels….may be wrong on that one though.

 

[ollie989898]

What an utter waste of everyone's time and money. Government creating jobs where none existed before yet again.

 

[GmB]

I wonder how many people choose to instal the recommended Wind Turbine….
It seems to appear on virtually every EPC I have seen…
Tricky characters to deal with…their approach is if they cannot see something then they assume it isn’t there and cannot be persuaded that it is there….suppose receipts may help.
Listed Buildings….heard that if you spend I think £3k (recognition of LB difficulties) that is regarded as enough to get you up to lettable levels….may be wrong on that one though.

The 3k is planned to be 10k sometime soon.
The software is being upgrade next year so fingers crossed it works in the home owners favour.
Its a bit like the electrical condition report con, get one person saying all is ok when another says ”1500 quid to sort it mate”

 

[Hampton]

Just had an EPC done on a property and it has come out as an F!
I was with the person when it was done and had a chat at the end about it and he said it would probably come out as a D. Which was fine as I knew I could do a few bits and pieces to the house if needed to get it higher. I am waiting to speak to the person about it and have left a message. Has anyone else had a similar thing occur and what have you done about it?
If I get another person to do an EPC will it come out any different or likely to still be an F. The score was a 32 so need to get to mid 50s to be a D. I can put in some Low energy light bulbs but how much will this add to the score? All the windows are double glazed, but the report says mostly, so I may be losing a few points there. I know there is a bit of loft insulation to put in which is fine. The boiler is only about 2 years old, but oil so I was not expecting good things from that. If this house is an F I dread to think what our house is! I just need to get to to an E to be able to let it, but appreciate that rules will change to make E unlettable in the future so may as well try and do something now if it is not too much work.
View attachment 1010968

What are you worried about,
One of my farm cottages came out at G14!

 

[Hampton]

I'd insulate the "very poor" roof, and upgrade all the lighting. Going from very poor to good likely to be a big jump.

I had a 1890s brick cottage. It got G14.
I took the floors up and insulated them, insulated the roof, and gutted the walls dry lined and insulated.
I also installed zonal central heating. Unfortunately I decided to install lpg and it came out as E48.
Apparently even if I put in a heat pump it would only have been a D.
Trouble is, the computer will not allowed these old houses to mark highly, even when they are brought up to modern standards

 

[steveR]

I had a 1890s brick cottage. It got G14.
I took the floors up and insulated them, insulated the roof, and gutted the walls dry lined and insulated.
I also installed zonal central heating. Unfortunately I decided to install lpg and it came out as E48.
Apparently even if I put in a heat pump it would only have been a D.
Trouble is, the computer will not allowed these old houses to mark highly, even when they are brought up to modern standards

TBH, the only way to hit the ever reducing
EPC mark appears to be flatten 'em, and rebuild the properties...

 

[Poncherello1976]

What are you worried about,
One of my farm cottages came out at G14!

Not worried, just annoyed that after going around saying it may well be a D or even an E it has come out as an F and you can not let an F apparently. Just wondered if a different person would rate it differently.
If it was a D/E I still would have done some small bits to the house. I now have to do a but more.
It's not a listed property, or a really old one.

 

[Doing it for the kids]

A case of computer saying no. This whole EPC thing is a bit tricky, had to evict tenants in poor houses to avoid a fine. They were then homeless and quite happy living the way they were before so who gained there?

I’ve installed poorer Efficiency oil boilers to get more points because the more efficient ones were not on their system - it’s bloody daft.

Some accessors know a bit but many are classroom trained which isn’t helpful

The EPC system is a great idea but it needs an overhaul- much of the uk stock is old and thus very hard to retrofix unless gutting and starting over.

If you are renovating get them to come out before and do a test, then advise what points can be earned where and work it backwards.