Want To Make Sure You Qualify For Maximum Payments?

It's no good going to all the time, trouble and expense of switching to low carbon, if you don't have an energy performance certificate. After all, you don't want to see all those savings pouring out of your roof, do you?.

Use the information below to see if you qualify for maximum payments under the FIT or RHI schemes

Energy Performance CertificateEnergy Performance Certificate

To take advantage of the UK governments feed in tariffs (FITs), you need to ensure that your home meets the minimum energy efficiency requirements.
Your property will need an energy performance certificate.

An energy performance certificate, or EPC, is a measure of how energy efficient your propery is. The energy efficiency score runs from “A” to “G”. “A” being the highest. To qualify for FIT payments, your property must have a band of “D” or higher.

If your property falls below this, all is not lost. You can take a number of measures to improve your energy efficiency rating. Your energy efficiency will also have an impact on how much you benefit from FITs and how much you reduce your carbon footprint by.

How Do I Get An EPC?

How do I get an EPC?

If you bought or rented your property after 1st October 2008, you should have been issued with an EPC. If this is the case and you have not received one, you can contact trading standards and they will be able to help and advise you. If you bought or rented your property after 1st of October 2008, click the title below that applies to you.

The information below is taken from the energy saving trust website (14-01-2014). Please take time to visit their website and review the most current information.

If you have an EPC it will state on the first page under the table headed ‘Energy Efficiency Rating’ the current and potential band rating of your property.

If the current rating of your property is a band D or better and your EPC certificate is less than 10 years old then you need take no further action in order to receive the FIT at the standard rate, other than sending the EPC Certificate to your FIT licensee when you register your installation.

If you have an EPC which shows that your property is a band E, F or G you will need to carry out energy efficiency improvements before you apply for the FITs or receive the FIT at the lower rate for the lifetime of the tariff, currently 20 years.

If you have had an EPC but have lost the certificate, you will need to contact the Approved Organisation whose member produced the original EPC:

Approved Organisations in England, Wales and Northern Ireland at the Landmark website.

Approved Organisations in Scotland at the Scottish Government website.

A good way to get an indication of the likely EPC band rating of your property is to complete our free online Home Energy Check (HEC). If you use this tool you will be asked a number of questions about your property which are then used to generate a report. BUT please note that the Home Energy Check the report is not valid as an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) and if you obtain an EPC for your property you may obtain a different rating to that given in the report.

The HEC report is intended for general guidance only and not as a substitute for the application of professional expertise. The Energy Saving Trust cannot accept responsibility for any loss, damage or other liability resulting from its use. The only way to be sure of the EPC banding of your property is to pay for a visit from a Domestic Energy Assessor (DEA) for an EPC to be produced. The downside of this is that you may need to pay for two EPCs if your property is not already a band D or better: one to find out and one after the improvements have been carried out.

Some DEAs may be prepared to create a draft report for you and then wait until the new measures have been completed before amending and submitting it – check this with your chosen DEA. If improvements are necessary your DEA should be able to advise you which of those recommended will be necessary to take your property to a band D and which will take you beyond that. The cost of an EPC varies, but is usually in the region of £50 to £100 plus VAT. You may want to request an estimate from an EPC provider before commissioning an EPC.

Can I Install Solar And Get A New EPC Rating?

You can install solar panels or other energy saving technologies to improve your EPC band. However, you should ensure that you have taken at least simple steps like increased insulation to get the most benefit from your investment. You should also be sure that the company carrying out your installation is certied by the appropriate bodies.

It can be a bit of a mine field trying to understand EPC’s, FIT’s HIR’s and the technological choices. Why not let Sussex Energy Advisors explain the processes to you in plain English.