Changes to RdSAP for Dec. 2014

On the 8^th December 2014, the process for creating an EPC is changing. There are now some extra measurements and photos that will be necessary to complete the energy survey, and we are going to run through the key changes here and give you an idea of the implications.

Party walls

The type and length of any partition walls will now need to be measured. In the past, these were ignored because they weren’t considered heat loss, but that isn’t entirely true. Some partition walls are solid, and some have cavities. If the cavity extends up into the loft, then heat can escape like a chimney, funnelling the heat up and out the property.

Part of the reason this is now being included in the assessment is to allow filling of these heat loss party walls. It will mean the assessor needs access to the party wall in the loft to check the wall type.

Glazing

For older windows in PVC, the gap between the two panes of double glazing must be estimated. Obviously it is difficult to tell this precisely, but the assessor will need to tick a category of 6, 12 or 16mm. This is not required for any windows installed post 2002, or single, triple or secondary glazed windows.

The point of this is to allow the assessor to recommend replacement glazing where applicable in the occupancy assessment, where before old double glazing could not be recommended for replacement.

Pumps and heating controls

Another minor change is the inclusion of pumps in your heating system. It will allow the recommendation of a replacement pumps where appropriate. The other change to heating systems is that time and temperature zone controls that communicate with TRVs are now included, so if you have an intelligent heating system it may mean your rating will improve. Next generation storage heaters can also now be included, along with weather compensators.

Park Homes

There are extensive changes to the way park homes must be lodged. We will be writing a separate blog detailing more about EPC’s with Park Homes.

What do these changes to the EPC process mean for the customer?

So these changes all impact the assessor and it will take longer for the surveys to take place, but what is the impact for the customer (aside from having the EPC assessor in the home for a little longer!) – well to be honest, it should mean a more accurate survey and therefore a more accurate representation of the energy efficiency of the property. We often find that the Government software makes big assumptions, but changes like those mentioned above do improve the accuracy of the reports.

At London-EPC we have put all our assessors through detailed training to ensure they are fully up to speed with the new changes so you can be sure that your assessor is providing you with the best possible service.

You need an EPC ‘D’ rating to claim the top rate FIT for Solar PV

The feed-in tariff is a Government payment, paid to households who have installed solar panels. The payments are made for each unit of electricity produced by the solar PV system regardless of whether that electricity produced is then used in the house or sold back to the grid.

When people talk about solar PV ‘paying back’ in 7-8 years, it is almost always the feed-in tariff that makes this possible (along with the energy savings). The top rate feed-in tariff for solar PV is 14.38p for every unit (measured in kWh) of electricity produced, however in order to get this rate, you need to provide a copy of your EPC and it needs to be band ‘D’ or better.

If you don’t provide an EPC with at least a band ‘D’ rating for the property on which the solar panels sit then unfortunately the payment is just 6.38p / kWh. For a typical 4kW solar system this might reduce your yearly payment by as much as £300. Keep in mind this payment lasts for 20 years, you could be missing out on as much as £6,000.

For that reason alone, if you are considering solar PV on your home, you must try and achieve the ‘D’ EPC rating on your home – otherwise the payback of your system might be 12-14 years.

For the Hydro, wind and CHP Feed-in tariff – the EPC rating doesn’t matter

For the other electricity producing technologies like micro hydroelectric, wind power and CHP (combined heat and power), the EPC rating has no bearing on the feed-in tariff payment. It is important to remember though that for all electricity generating technologies, you need to make sure they are installed by MCS registered installers otherwise you won’t be able to claim the Feed-in tariff either.

We get asked all the time by customers whether or not it is possible to fail and EPC

In a word no – it is not possible to fail an EPC!

For an EPC done on a home, the property will be given a rating between 1-100, with 1 the worst performing property (energy wise) and 100 being the perfect house (normally producing its own energy and potentially adhering to the Passivhaus standard).

Even if you receive your report and it is a 1 (which puts it in G), you haven’t failed – it shows a potential buyer or tenant of the property that the home rates very poorly in terms of energy efficiency. What this tends to mean is that they will need to pay more for their heating during the winter months than a comparatively sized house with a higher rating.

Having said that, there are changes afoot that will begin to penalise people based on a low EPC rating, for example from 2016, landlords will not be able to rent out properties until the energy rating of the home is at least a band E. To be honest this is not particularly hard to achieve, but for some properties, landlords will need to take action, be it installing loft insulation or replacing the heating system with a more efficient one.

There is also talk of linking the EPC rating to council tax, but again this wouldn’t punish a person for an inefficient house, more reward a household with council tax reductions if they had a well performing property, energy efficiency wise.

For a commercial property, again it is impossible to fail the EPC. Unlike the scale for residential EPC which runs from 1- 100 (with 100 being excellent), for commercial EPC reports – the dwelling is measured between 1 (amazing) and 150 (a energy efficiency nightmare).

Both types of EPC provide recommendations on how to improve the energy efficiency of the property though, and while these are not obligatory, we do recommend considering them, but to confirm – no, it is not possible to fail your EPC!

London’s unique construction challenges pose no problem for London EPC!

There are numerous areas in London that have their own distinct architecture and building style. Our assessors have been doing EPCs for a number of years and so it is likely they have seen most types of property out there!

An example is Barbican, located in the heart of the City of London. In September 2001 the Barbican complex became Grade 2 listed. The 40 acre site was developed into residential blocks between 1965 and 1976. It consists of 13 terraced blocks and contains 3 of London’s tallest residential towers.

The Barbican estate is constructed with what we call system build – a combination of high strength steel and concrete. Many of the properties are conditioned with a communal underfloor heating system.

It is this sort of insight that makes London-EPC the best in the business!

If you would like to book an EPC, call us now on 0208 1333849 or fill in our EPC request form.