EPC enabled with running costs in focus

Tue 25 Oct 2022

Richard Cleaver, Shouler & Son’s Head of Residential, is a qualified & accredited domestic energy assessor. And as we head towards the winter, he is sensing that running costs are beginning to figure in potential housebuyers’ calculations in a way they haven’t done before.

An Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) gives a property a rating from A to G - where A is the highest to a sliding scale of G as the lowest.

An EPC is assigned to a property based on the breakdown of estimated energy use, carbon dioxide emissions and a qualified professional’s view of how the house will be lived in.

EPCs have been part of the paperwork of a house sale since 2007 and it’s been mandatory for estate agent’s to relay the energy rating in all marketing, advertising and point of sale material since 2013.

Yet since 2007 and, indeed, in my 25 years of estate agency practice, EPCs and running costs have not featured prominently in the minds of potential housebuyers.

Until now.

Back in March, we invited a peer property professional, with whom Shoulers’ residential lettings department works, to explain the detail of energy performance assessments and certificates.

At that time, little did we know just how much energy and rising fuel costs would come to dominate the international and domestic agenda as the year progressed.

We first noticed interest in and enquiries about EPC ratings of properties for sale - whether in town or country - as the summer progressed.

This level of interest from potential housebuyers has ramped-up since the Government announced its domestic energy price guarantee cap last month.

As we face the winter months, most property professionals agree that we are entering a time when running costs might count more prominently when it comes to house moves.

While we can say with a degree of confidence, that the energy performance rating of a property is unlikely to be a deal-maker or a deal-breaker, it does now form part of the decision making process in a way it hasn’t before.

Preparation of the EPC is just one of the important pre-sale documents and part of the Shoulers commitment to a residential service that ensures our clients are market-ready movers.

Homeowners looking for more information about the range of Shouler & Son’s residential sales services, can find more information here or call 01664 560181 to speak with one of our residential sales professionals