Commercial Energy Performance Certificates

​By law, all commercial properties must carry an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) if they wish to present for sale or rent. This legislation brought in by the Energy Saving Trust ensures complete transparency for any potential new owners or tenants.

You may have noticed the stickers on new appliances that are multi-coloured, and indicate how energy efficient it is, this is the same as an EPC, but it displays the energy efficiency of the building as a whole. It’s graded on a letter based system, scoring it A (for ‘very efficient’) to G (for inefficient).

The EPC also gives the person that will be using the building how much the expected energy costs will be, as well as what the carbon dioxide emissions are likely to be.

An EPC will provide recommendations on the areas that can be improved to increase energy efficiency, and lower bills. These can be a range of suggestions, from insulation to energy efficient lightbulbs. It may be a case that the commercial boiler is outdated, and replacing it will be beneficial.

EPCs are valid for ten years, but they can be renewed at any time to reflect any changes the landlord or own makes to the building to improve the energy efficiency.

To get your own EPC report you need to go to an accredited Domestic Energy Assessor to survey your building and appliances, or get your estate agent to make the necessary arrangements