What Is an EPC Rating, and How Can It Be Improved In 5 Easy Steps

An Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) is needed whenever a house is built, rented, or sold and is valid for 10 years. It tells you the energy consumption of the building, the carbon dioxide emissions, and how you can improve energy efficiency.

According to EPC, your property will be rated in terms of efficiency ranging from A – most efficient to G – least efficient and is known as EPC rating. If you need to enhance the EPC ratings, there are some easy steps that you can take. Here are the 5 easy steps you can use to improve the EPC rating of your property.

1) Switch to LED lighting

Business utilities such as electricity should be consumed as little as possible in order to keep the EPC rating low. LED light bulbs are more efficient and more environmentally friendly, and they are sure to improve your EPC rating.

If you want to raise your rating by one or two levels, then switching to LED lighting with old incandescent light bulbs can make all the difference. They have gained popularity because they are an inexpensive way of increasing energy efficiency and saving on energy bills in the long run.

2) Insulate roof and walls

Another measure you can take to improve energy efficiency is through new insulation of roof and walls. Uninstalled walls and roofs cause around 30 percent loss of heat. This is why increasing insulation in the walls and roof can have a significant effect on your energy bills. There are two types of wall insulation depending upon the type of property.

For older properties, solid wall insulation is used, which is relatively expensive but provides an effective way of improving EPC ratings and saving on energy bills. While for more modern properties, cavity wall insulation is used, this is relatively cheaper but will also have a good impact on the EPC rating. So before you decide, it is important to consider your options and your budget.

3) Double or triple glazing of windows

It is important to pay attention to the windows as well. Even though they do not have as huge an impact as the roof or wall insulation, but they do reduce the loss of heat to some extent, providing complete insulation with other home insulation. Double glazing can increase EPC rating by 5 to 10 points, while triple glazing can enhance this number.

4) Replace the boiler with a more efficient one

The core of your EPC ratings is the heating system. Inefficient boilers can negatively affect energy efficiency, while an efficient boiler can make a huge impact on your ratings. To significantly enhance your ratings, it is important to replace your existing boiler with a newer and better model. In addition to an efficient boiler, if you also upgrade to smart technologies like smart thermostats or radiator controls, then you can easily and significantly improve the score.

5) Set up a small meter

A small meter can tell you and the residents of the property about how much energy they are using. This will allow them to change their energy consumption behaviors to lower the energy consumption and energy bills and thus improve your ratings.

Conclusion

These are some of the easy measures that you can take to ensure your property’s energy efficiency and improve your EPC ratings. If your EPC rating is E- or below, then you need to take immediate action to ensure that you can easily increase the energy efficiency of your house; otherwise, you can land in trouble.