Making our homes more energy efficient is an increasing priority, both for the government and for homeowners. A more efficient home not only cuts your carbon footprint and helps the environment, it can also significantly reduce your bills. Energy Performance Certificates (EPCs) are the main standard used to access how energy efficient a property is, so it’s important to understand exactly what they mean for your home.
EPC Ratings
When a property is built, sold or rented out, it must be assessed and given an EPC rating. The ratings range from A to G with A being the most efficient and G being the least. An EPC document will not only contain a rating, but also specific information about the building’s energy use and an estimate of the typical cost of that energy. It will also contain recommendations for how to make the property more energy efficient. As this certificate must be shown to potential buyers or renters it can make a big difference to the sale or rental value of your property.
What affects your rating?
The main things that affect the EPC rating of a building are how well insulated it is and how much energy the various appliances and fittings inside use. Insulation includes not just how much physical insulation there is in the walls and roof, but also how air tight the building is. Air tightness can be thought of as a measure or how leaky a building is i.e. a really air tight building will not leak much of its heat to the outside, therefore making it more energy efficient.
The efficiency of the appliances and fittings comes down to how much energy they use for their normal functions, so the more they use, the worse your EPC rating will be.
How to improve your rating
The key to improving your EPC rating is to address the areas that are dragging you down the most. If you have uninsulated cavity walls, consider having these insulated. Likewise, if your roof has little insulating material, this can be a relatively easy fix. One of the simplest changes most homeowners should consider, however, is replacing their boiler, especially if it is more than ten years old.
Boilers installed before April 2005 are likely to be older style, non-condensing boilers which can be as little as 60% efficient whereas a modern A rated condensing boiler will usually be at least 90% efficient. As heating usually makes up around 50% of a home’s energy usage, making this switch can have a significant impact on your property’s overall efficiency and its EPC rating.
DHS offers expert boiler replacement in Bristol and the surrounding area, providing a service you can rely on. So, if you want to boost your home’s Energy Performance Certificate rating, why not get in touch?
Unit 2 Septimus Buildings 
