Survey could do with a few more questions, I left one answer blank as I didn’t buy my house, I built it

Lloyd - I have to agree with Tony's comment about needing more questions but I understand you were restricted there. Perhaps there could have been some space for "any other comments"? When I bought my house back in 2006 EPCs did not exist so the question about whether the EPC influenced my purchase I had to answer no. Today the EPC rating would be important to me but I also understand their limitations too! I had one done back in 2014 because I was applying for the RHI for a new wood pellet boiler.

I did have an EPC and it has an impact on me buying the house- but not because the EPC was good! I on purpose bought an old cold house, then did extensive renovations including energy-saving measures.

And i find EPCs rubbish- replacing 10mm of polystyrene dry lining with 90mm of PIR apparently didn't make it go up at all, because both are 'wall insulation'. But solar panels on my north-facing roof would improve the EPC, despite being useless. Sorry.. I digress...

Hi Lloyd

In all fairness I think you should start again .

I contacted you last week and explained that I found that I had submitted without the having the opportunity complete the questions that I had passed over or to review the ones I had completed

It was my intention to view the EPC relating to my property .

When I did so I found it to be total factual incorrect even though it had apparently been recently up-dated .

A drive-by or google view would have clearly shown that EWI had been installed .

And should have also revealed that solar panels were installed and yet both were were advised as improvements

Recommendation 4: Solar photovoltaic panels, 2.5 kWp Solar photovoltaic panels Typical installation cost £9,000 - £14,000

Anyone can use -

https://find-energy-certificate.digital.communities.gov.uk/find-a-certificate/search-by-postcode
there were 2 applicable one 16 January 2018 (expired) and the other valid until 2 June 2024.

It also advises

Contacting the assessor and accreditation scheme
This EPC was created by a qualified energy assessor.

If you are unhappy about your property’s energy assessment or certificate, you can complain to the assessor directly.

I sent an email on the 1st March.

I will hope for a response within 14 days is that reasonable ?

I have done the survey again and on this occasion I was thanked for completing the survey after 5 questions .


I am very pleased to assist on your way to a degree. But am concerned that even correlating the answers to 15 questions helps to lead to a Professional Qualification .

I feel University of the West of England Bristol should review their standards maybe .

Their reputation and yours are closely linked in my opinion .

Best of luck anyway .

I didn't go into details about my EPC in my reply to the OP but we are rated D despite all the improvements in insulation, and having a wood pellet boiler, solar thermal and solar PV! The reason? Our Danish wood pellet boiler does not have SEDBUK accreditation so was give a generic efficiency figure of 66% despite the fact that I have a certificate from the relevant Danish authority showing it has a 92% efficiency! I haven't bothered to complain as I have no intention of selling our place any time soon but if we ever did consider doing so, then I definitely would.

<blockquote><cite>Posted By: djh</cite>apparently just using direct electric heating is enough by itself to condemn an EPC to a C rating.

... EPCs are simply not designed to assess PH properly, IMHO.</blockquote>
Yes, your EPC is an excellent example of that.

Lloyd, re electric heating, also see http://www.greenbuildingforum.co.uk/newforum/comments.php?DiscussionID=16654

As bad as the EPC results are with respect to real life costs/usage it remains, IMO, that all the time energy reduction upgrades cost way more than any savings to be made within the normal investment time scale then energy saving is going to be a very hard sell. IMO about the only energy reduction measure that makes economic sense is to turn down the heating and put on (another) jumper.

With regard to the quoted document I note with NO surprise the graph showing residential energy use across Europe shows that the colder countries use much more than the warmer countries.

Devising a way to insulate houses in a cost effective affordable manner should be a target. And of course (with reference to another thread) better control and inspection of new build standard.

<blockquote><cite>Posted By: bxman</cite>Hi Lloyd

In all fairness I think you should start again .

I contacted you last week and explained that I found that I had submitted without the having the opportunity complete the questions that I had passed over or to review the ones I had completed

It was my intention to view the EPC relating to my property .

When I did so I found it to be total factual incorrect even though it had apparently been recently up-dated .

A drive-by or google view would have clearly shown that EWI had been installed .

And should have also revealed that solar panels were installed and yet both were were advised as improvements

Recommendation 4: Solar photovoltaic panels, 2.5 kWp Solar photovoltaic panels Typical installation cost £9,000 - £14,000

Anyone can use -

<a href="https://find-energy-certificate.digital.communities.gov.uk/find-a-certificate/search-by-postcode" rel="nofollow">https://find-energy-certificate.digital.communities.gov.uk/find-a-certificate/search-by-postcode</a>
there were 2 applicable one 16 January 2018 (expired) and the other valid until 2 June 2024.

It also advises

Contacting the assessor and accreditation scheme
This EPC was created by a qualified energy assessor.

If you are unhappy about your property’s energy assessment or certificate, you can complain to the assessor directly.

I sent an email on the 1st March.

I will hope for a response within 14 days is that reasonable ?

I have done the survey again and on this occasion I was thanked for completing the survey after 5 questions .


I am very pleased to assist on your way to a degree. But am concerned that even correlating the answers to 15 questions helps to lead to a Professional Qualification .

I feel University of the West of England Bristol should review their standards maybe .

Their reputation and yours are closely linked in my opinion .

Best of luck anyway .</blockquote>

Hi Patrick,

I've just e-mailed you.

I believe the survey would have ended after 5 questions due to you selecting "never been provided with an EPC". If this answer is selected it automatically ends the survey as the following questions will not be relevant to someone who's property doesn't have an EPC.

The main purpose of the survey is to develop an understanding of people's general perceptions about EPCs.

Thanks,

Lloyd

Posted By: Peter_in_HungaryDevising a way to insulate houses in a cost effective affordable manner should be a target. And of course (with reference to another thread) better control and inspection of new build standard.

Indeed, but it *is* cost effective to insulate new houses affordably. The point is that it isn't done! The regulations aren't strong enough and the enforcement is a bad joke.

Posted By: djh

Posted By: Peter_in_HungaryWith regard to the quoted document

Sorry, which quoted document is that?

This one

Posted By: RobLhttps://www.researchgate.net/publication/232251093_Building_performance_evaluation_and_certification_in_the_UK_Is_SAP_fit_for_purpose

Posted By: Peter_in_HungaryThis one

Thanks

EWI isn't cost effective as far as I can see... many decades to pay back :-(

Otherwise - everyone would already be doing it !!

Edit: and not affordable either. No sensible way to borrow money to do it, as it doesn't increase mortgageable value of the house.

A tube of sealant is cost effective, as is DIY loft insulation, but no other insulation or airtight measures pay back in pure financial terms AFAICS if done to legal standards (so with paid labour for most people's houses)

The government briefly seemed willing to contribute £5k to electroconvulse the building trade, but can't see them paying middle-class homeowners or landlords the 10s of £k necessary to EWI lots of people's houses, and if they did everyone else would rightfully be upset. There are many cheaper ways that government can reduce carbon.

AIUI the intent of EPCs was to allow government to force landlords and homeowners to improve existing houses at the point of lease or sale, at their own expense. It's certainly a blunt instrument.

On the plus side, they are willing to subsidise heat pumps and offshore wind farms, so a lightly-retrofitted U=0.5 house with a heatpump today, emits less than a U=0.1 passivhaus with direct electric heating did only a few years ago.

Posted By: WillInAberdeenEWI isn't cost effective as far as I can see...

In terms of running cost, that may be true. It would level the playing field a little if VAT on domestic energy bills was raised from 5% to 20%, and if VAT on insulation products was cut to 0%.

However that doesn't take into account the increase in property value. Research shows that energy efficient homes are generally worth significantly more on a like-for-like basis:
https://www.enterprise.cam.ac.uk/news/the-link-between-energy-efficiency-and-property-values/#

The problem with taxing energy (fuel) to drive reduction in use and make insulation (e.g.EWI) cost effective is that the well off will continue to ignore the problem and the those in fuel and food poverty will suffer even more.
Put a carbon tax on gas and the fixed income owner/occupier pensioner will get screwed, move closer to supplementary benefit and still won't be able to reduce usage or pay for improvements to do the same.

Forcing land lords to meet higher standards of energy efficiency (please include all landlords, public and private) will only serve to put up rents when a lot of those renting already struggle with living cost anyway.

I can't see a solution, easy or otherwise without massive government intervention on the lines of the cost of COVID, but taking insulation materials out of the VAT system would help those sitting on the fence about insulating.

Posted By: Peter_in_HungaryForcing land lords to meet higher standards of energy efficiency (please include all landlords, public and private) will only serve to put up rents when a lot of those renting already struggle with living cost anyway.

France are starting to do just that!

Specifically, from 2023 it will be illegal for landlords to offer for rent a home with a an EPC forecasting an energy requirement of >450kWh / m² (estimated at around 90,000 homes, 70,000 of them privately owned). From 2025 it applies to all homes with a G rated EPC. It's likely to be extended to those with an F EPC from 2028 - a total of 4.8 million homes.

EPCs will also come with an energy bill forecast, which must be included in rental adverts from 2022. Tennants will be able to get their own EPC and, if it's worse than the landlord's, will be able to claim compensation. Landlords, in turn, will be able to claim compensation from their EPC provider.

The results will be interesting.