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Energy Performance Certificate (EPC)
We can carry out an EPC assesment of your property required to get your FIT (Feed In Tariff) for domestic and commercial properties.
What is EPC?
An Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) is a report that assesses the energy efficiency of a property and recommends specific ways in which the efficiency of your property could be improved.
If you do not have a copy of an EPC for your property, you may be able to access a copy online, if one already exists. If you are in England or Wales, you can enter your postcode into the Landmark register.
An EPC reference number is required as part of the application process for the Solar PV Feed in Tariff (FIT) and the Domestic Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI).
The EPC is used to:
- determine whether the property can be considered domestic
- evidence that the required loft and cavity wall insulation measures have been installed.
- determine the heat demand figure used for the payments calculation for non-metered biomass and heat pump applicants.
- confirm that the D rating or above is achieved for the higher FIT rate.
The heat demand figure is only included in EPCs for dwellings. A non-domestic EPC would not show this figure and therefore could not be used to work out RHI payments using the deeming methodology. Your EPC must include a heat demand figure (some older EPCs don’t have this). If yours doesn’t, you will need to get one that does.
An EPC is produced whenever a Green Deal assessment is carried out. Therefore if your property is already adequately insulated, you will only need the EPC that is provided in the Green Deal Advice Report (GDAR). However, if your EPC states that either loft or cavity wall insulation are required you must get an assessor to produce a second EPC after installing the insulation to prove that you have done this.
The Green Deal Assessment requirement applies to everyone except custom-builders with eligible new-builds, Registered Social Landlords (RSLs) and Local Authorities.
- Eligible new-build properties constructed by custom-builders still need a domestic EPC.
- RSLs and Local Authorities need to provide either an EPC that is less than 24 months old from application or a GDAR. The application deadline for legacy RSL applicants is still 8 April 2015.
What to do next?
CJ Solar can arrange for your EPC and Green Deal Assessment to be carried out which will confirm if you will qualify for the higher FIT rate or whether improvements are required to you home prior to claiming the RHI.
