EPCs should be updated not ditched

2021-04-08T05:00:00

Martyn Reed, managing director of Elmhurst Energy (low res))

MPs have slammed them but Energy Performance Certificates could be a powerful tool in tackling climate change, says Martyn Reed

MPs are the latest group to have a moan about Energy Performance Certificates. The Environmental Audit Committee gathered the grumbles of many housing and sustainability experts, all of whom pointed out that the calculation of Energy Performance Certificates (EPCs) is based on standardised data and presented in a way that gives emphasis only to an estimate of how much a home might cost to run. The main criticism is always that EPCs do not provide information on the actual, real-life energy usage and performance of the buildings to which they are attached.

That’s all true. EPCs were designed primarily as a cost-based asset rating, and while they actually generate more insights than most people realise, at first glance they do look like a blunt tool in today’s policy context.

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