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Guide · 8 min read

Understanding the EPC

What does the Energy Performance Certificate actually tell you — and how should it affect your offer?

What is an EPC?

An Energy Performance Certificate is a legal requirement for all properties sold or rented in the UK. It rates the property's energy efficiency from A (most efficient) to G (least efficient) on a scale of 1–100 points.

Critically for buyers, the EPC also contains the property's floor area — which is rarely stated accurately on listings, but is essential for comparing price per square foot across properties.

What the ratings mean in practice

A

92–100 points — Excellent

Very well insulated, modern heating system. Typically new builds. Running costs £600–£900/yr for an average home.

B

81–91 points — Good

Well insulated, efficient boiler. Running costs £900–£1,400/yr.

C

69–80 points — Above average

Good insulation, reasonable heating. Most modern properties. Running costs £1,400–£2,200/yr.

D

55–68 points — Average

Some insulation gaps, older boiler. Running costs £2,200–£3,500/yr. Improvements recommended.

E

39–54 points — Below average

Poor insulation, inefficient heating. Running costs £3,500–£5,000/yr. Significant work needed. Minimum legal standard for rentals.

F

21–38 points — Poor

Major insulation and heating issues. Running costs £5,000–£8,000/yr. Substantial investment required.

G

1–20 points — Very poor

Listed buildings, older period properties. Running costs can exceed £10,000/yr. Cannot legally be let.

How to use the EPC in your negotiation

A poor EPC rating is a legitimate negotiating point. Here's why:

  • Higher running costs directly reduce the net value of the property
  • The cost of improvement works (insulation, boiler, windows) is quantifiable and can be used to justify a lower offer
  • Future regulations may require EPC C or above for mortgage lending — a D or below could affect resale
  • The EPC improvement recommendations give you a specific list of works and estimated costs to reference
Example: A property with EPC D has estimated improvement costs of £4,500 to reach EPC C. If comparable properties with EPC C are selling at £300,000, it's entirely reasonable to offer £295,500 for the D-rated property — and to cite the specific EPC improvement costs as your justification.

Where to find the EPC

Every EPC is registered on the government's EPC register at epcregister.com. Search by postcode. The full certificate includes the floor area, current score, potential score, and all improvement recommendations — more detail than appears on the listing.

OfferHound retrieves the EPC data for every property we analyse and includes it in the report — including estimated annual energy costs and improvement recommendations.

EPC included in every report

OfferHound retrieves the full EPC data for your property, including floor area and improvement costs.

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