What is a business EPC/Commercial EPC?
Often called a business or commercial EPC, the correct term is actually a non-domestic EPC. It differs from a residential EPC in a few ways, but essentially the idea is to create a document that gives the property a rating in terms of how energy efficient it is.
The efficiency of the property is given on a scale from A to G, with A being highly efficient to G being the least efficient.
Does it matter what rating I get on my business EPC?
From 2018, there is new legislation (MEES) that means any rented property below an E rating will not be lettable. This is really big news because there is a huge amount of commercial premises that do not make the grade. It is therefore really important to get your EPC done and find out whether you need to improve the rating.
If you own the property and use it yourself, the rating will not force you to carry out any remedial works, but you may want to take the rating into consideration and to carry out practical works which could help lower your heating bills.
How much does a business EPC cost?
You can find more about our costs here, but the price does vary fairly depending on the type of property, its size and how complicated it is going to be to put into the software. Business EPCs also cost more to lodge than domestic EPCs. Prices start from around £120 for the smallest commercial spaces, up to £1,000 or more for the largest and most complicated buildings.
What does the survey entail for a business EPC?
The process is really straightforward. You will book your survey in with us, which involves a quick visit to carry out some measurements and collect evidence. For the smallest properties, this visit is only 20 minutes or so, whilst larger properties may take several hours.
The surveyor will then go away to put all the data into the government software. This process takes several hours and once complete, a draft of the EPC will be sent to you to check you are happy with the details. Once we receive payment, the final EPC will be released to you and issued on the online EPC register.
All we require is some very simple cooperation from yourselves or the tenant to ensure this process runs smoothly. Access to the whole property will be required on the visit, as well as access to electric and gas meters and the heating and cooling systems. If you have floor plans of the property, even if they aren’t to scale, these can be very helpful and avoid too much inconvenience for the tenants on the visit.
To achieve the best ratings, we ask that you provide any evidence of insulation that has been installed, and model numbers of any heating, cooling or renewable systems. If defaults have to be assumed, the rating will be negatively affected.
If you would like a quote, just give us a call and we can help!