Updated: Oct 19, 2023
Whether you’re looking to sell your home, buy a new one or are simply concerned with your rising energy bills, EPC ratings give us a key insight into the energy efficiency of a property. But what does this mean?
Read on below as we explain in understandable terms what exactly an EPC rating is along with some of the ways in which you can improve the EPC rating of your home.
What is an EPC Rating?
An Energy Performance Certification rating, or EPC rating as it’s more commonly referred to, is a measure of your property’s overall energy efficiency. This rating then indicates how much your home costs to heat and power, as well as how much energy may be lost from your home. It is measured on a scale of A to G, with A being the most efficient rating and G being the least efficient.
EPC ratings tend to be measured in three sections, the first outlines the estimated costs of energy in your home, which is split into categories: heating, lighting and hot water. The second is the energy efficiency scale that we just mentioned – so what rating it sits at from A to G. As for the last one, this is your property’s potential efficiency rating, which is the rating it could achieve if suggested improvements are made.
You can find your property’s, or a prospective property’s, EPC rating here.
How Can I Improve My Home’s EPC Rating?
If you’re looking for ways to improve your home’s energy efficiency rating, then there are a number of things you can do. The first is to look at ways energy could be losing heat from your home. Hot air rises, so if you don’t have any or sufficient loft insulation in your home, then all of this hot air will be lost through your roof and you’ll be wasting more energy to replace it and keep your home warm.
You should also take a look at the energy ratings of your appliances; the lower the rating that these have, the more they will be costing you to run. For example, if you currently have an old boiler, it could be rated as low as G, in which case you should consider upgrading to a new boiler – all of which in the UK are A rated.
Of course there are the little changes you could be making as well, such as switching to LED bulbs, turning lights off when you leave a room, using cold water to rinse off dishes or when brushing your teeth – though these don’t make as noticeable an impact, they still help all the same to keep both your home’s overall energy efficiency and your energy bills lower.
If your home has an EPC rating of E or lower, then you may be eligible for funded heating upgrades under the ECO4 scheme. If you’d like to learn more or find out if you qualify, then don’t hesitate to get in touch with us here at UK Energy Management today.
