EPC prices ‘fluctuating wildly’

Prices for energy performance certificates are showing huge variations, property clients claim, with quotes varying between £2,000 and £15,000 for a 15,000m2 building, according to one engineering consultancy.

A senior engineer from the consultancy said prices were “fluctuating wildly”. He added: “It appears that some assessors are putting out quotes on a purely speculative basis with no real thought in it.”

The building concerned was about 20 years old with a more-than-average amount of ready information. “Assessors at either end of the spectrum probably don’t know what they’re doing,” the engineer said.

Steve Barlow, senior manager at environmental and energy consultancy Environ, said one possible explanation for variations was that the market was still trying to understand what was needed and what clients expected. Also, assessors were still evaluating the amount of time needed to produce EPCs. Barlow, who is studying for qualified assessor status, said: “Up-to-date drawings that show the actual installation will definitely ensure a lower price.” Environ quotes from £1,500 to more than £10,000 for an EPC, depending on drawings and information given.

Barlow added that as more software packages became available and assessors grew familiar with them, “time taken to do an assessment will fall, along with the price”. A shortage of assessors could be another reason for high prices. “It’s an embryonic market and we probably need about 1,000 assessors,” Barlow said.

Stefan Desormeaux, of CB Richard Ellis, said there was nothing to suggest prices would fall soon. “But that doesn’t mean it won’t happen in the future as more buildings come up for sale or rent.”