Energy Performance Certificates Made Clear
Every property should have an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC), which depicts the environmental impact of the building, that is, carbon dioxide emission. Actually, EPC shows the energy efficiency rating of a building.
European Union Directive 2002/91/EC first came with the idea of EPCs. However, the Kyoto Protocol was the main inspiration. The objective behind this innovative initiative was to cut back on energy consumption and environmental degradation due to CO2 emission. As per the rules incorporated in Part 5 of the UK Housing Act 2004, all houses and buildings in United Kingdom, are required to install EPCs by 2009.
The purpose is to reveal, how safe the construction is for the surrounding environment and those residing in the building. The EPC rating is presented in a graphical representation, on a scale from A to G. Here, ‘A’ represents most efficient energy performance and ‘G’ represents the least efficient energy performance.
In UK, 40% of energy consumption is the outcome of domestic uses – such as air-conditioning, lighting, heating and other household purposes. The implementation of the plan of setting EPCs will be a crucial step in curbing massive consumption. EPC serves the function of estimating energy efficiency and at the same time save energy efficiency of a building/home.
EPCs provide all necessary information regarding Energy Savings Trust, which comes to the benefit of house property owners in several ways. The Energy Savings Trust provides the owners with special grants or discounts so that they can accomplish essential improvement works.
Once the energy consumption is reduced, the amount of carbon dioxide being emitted is automatically curbed. This is a fantastic way by which EPCs not only help to restore money and energy but also makes a successful contribution in building an all improved healthy environment.
Nothing is more important and essential than an Energy Performance Certificate included in a Home Information Pack (HIP). As incorporated in HIP as a form of Governmental attempt to provide a complete support to a greener housing market, the EPCs have immensely shouldered the selling and buying procedures trying to make the process more speedy and lucid where nothing remains behind the curtain.
You tend to make wrong decisions mostly when you are ignorant. EPCs will not give you a scope for that because they are always prepared with lots of information, which you can consider while making a decision. In reality, when the rating is better the energy efficiency of the property becomes higher resulting in low fuel bills. When energy consumption is reduced, expenses are bound to be less and this significantly benefits the climate too. Under such circumstances, more buyers are gaining interest in buying properties having decent energy performance ratings.
EPCs have brought a revolution in the realm of property transaction. In addition to the suitable advices on saving energy consumption and lowering carbon dioxide emission, the EPCs enabled the property sellers to enhance their reliability and at the same time have enabled the buyers to make their new homes favorable for the surrounding environment.
As per the European Directive for the Energy Performance Buildings, all the member countries of the European Union are directed to introduce EPCs as a step towards preventing environmental degradation. Hence, the UK government is very stringent in blocking the sale of those houses, which do not have the important EPC documents in the HIP.
However, prior to including EPC documents in the HIP, the property owner should know how to go about it. The seller should approach the Home Inspectors directly or via their agents. First, the Home Inspector makes a thorough inspection of the property, the various assets, fixtures and fittings and then issues the certificate. However, an accredited Energy Assessor can also perform the job of inspection and issue an Energy Performance Certificate.
