As a Commercial EPC Assessor for over 7000 buildings over the last 14 years, I’ve always had a good instinct of where a Building will fall within the grades and would openly give an opinion on site on most occasions. However, this has now changed, and I’ve had to restrain from voicing my opinion. 

 

The Process to undertake an EPC 

 

The first task of the Assessor is to procure the data needed to produce an EPC and this is normally done, hopefully by a single site visit. On the site visit certain data needs to be obtained and there is a bare minimum requirement and if this can’t be met then the assessor will not be able to produce an EPC, but don’t worry we only normally require access to the whole property and we can find the info we need. 

 

It should be noted it’s the Landlord / Owner Responsibility to have the data available on-site visit and a good assessor will normally talk through what this entails before the visit, I’ll write another blog on this at a later date as its quiete useful. 

 

The second part of this process is to take the data from site and build a 3D model of the building and run it through a weather and environment simulator on the geological location where the building is located. This runs through a 365-day simulation to see how the building reacts to the weather, shading etc. In short after it done this now gives us the grade. 

 

The grading is done automatically through the software, so the assessor does not have anything to do with the grade given so it doesn’t matter how many people ask me if they can have a B the answer would always be even if that wasn’t fraud I couldn’t do anything about it anyway, its down to the data they have entered, hopefully the assessor has managed to procure a high standard of data and not just estimates of values as these are normally given worst possible standards. 

 

So WHATS changed? that I have dramatically put in my title for attention 

 

I’ll make this brief, Electricity and Gas values have changed on EPCS. Previously Electric heating was used as default heating, if no heating data could be provided hence worst possible setting, meaning worst possible efficiency grade. When we used to see Electric heaters in certain building types you knew it was going to fail, not all building types just some. 

 

Well for the last few months Electricity efficiency has shot up, this is because the renewable side of electricity has now been included in the data figures as around 42% of all the electricity the UK uses is now renewable. 

 

This in turn has pushed Gas central Heating, Gas Air Forced convection heaters and other Gas appliances down. Buildings that used to pass are now failing. So it’s imperative, when you have EPCs undertaken always ask for a Draft EPC first as you will have 3 months to lodge the EPC after the date of inspection. 

 

Is it time to update my EPC? 

 

Simply If you have Electric heaters YES and if you have Gas central heating No, leave it to expire as it will have been reduced in efficiency. 

 

What Can i do to get a B grade on an EPC? 

 

Phone us on 0121 485 5211 or james.skinner@bestcompliance.co.uk 

 

 

All EPCs MUST be AN EPC grade B by 2030 and a minimum of EPC grade C by 2027.