EPC Reform postponed until 2027

It was an impossibly optimistic timeframe to deliver EPC Reform this Autumn, so it’s no surprise to see it's been pushed back a year.

Last week, the UK Government (representing England and Wales), and the Scottish Government both released statements saying EPCs will remain unchanged until late 2027.

To recap, the way Energy Performance Certificates look, how results are graded, and the way they are calculated, are all changing. When it happens, it will be the biggest refresh to EPCs since their creation in 2008.

The current plan allows existing EPCs in England & Wales to be used beyond 2030, providing they achieve a C rating and are within their expiry date. Scotland hasn't committed to this transition.

This draft EPC example from Scotland shows the single A-G rating will be replaced with three ratings, focusing on fabric performance, running costs, and the carbon intensity of the heating system.

The reason for the delay?

Invalid EPCs across Great Britain (too old or a low rating) will need to be reassessed before sale or rental using a more complicated assessment tool that isn’t ready yet (the Home Energy Model), generating new looking EPCs, the design of which hasn't been finalised yet, created by a nation of re-trained SAP assessors who've attending training courses that haven’t been written yet.

And with the Scottish Government also intending to launch new on-site quality audits and a new digital EPC Register, it's become clear that we'll need longer than 7 months to get all these ducks in a row. 

So, what’s the new plan?

HEM version 1 will be published this summer, along with information about accreditation requirements and conventions.

HEM v1 will work alongside SAP10.3 in delivering the Future Homes Standard / Approved Document Part L compliance targets, but it WON’T be able to calculate EPC ratings.

HEM v2 (release date unknown) will be able to generate the new-style EPC for both new build properties (OCDEA assessors) and for existing property surveys rdSAP assessors).

HEM v2 will also include extra features that rarely appear in new-builds so haven't been prioritised for v1. Things like chimneys, wood burners, heating stoves and passive stack ventilation.

This delay is sensible as it gives our industry more time to get the transition right. We can't allow the system to fall over because it was thrown together too quickly.

EPCs don't have the best reputation now. This is our opportunity to reset and show the benefits of an accurate energy rating for our homes.

But we can't keep delaying the launch of HEM based EPCs, as the days of SAP are already numbered. All assessors will have to switch to HEM to produce new-look EPCs to be compliant with the 2030 Minimum Energy Efficiency Standards requirements.