EPC – Improvement advice for 2025 please?

EPC – Improvement advice for 2025 please?

12:00 PM, 19th January 2022, About 2 years ago 59

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We are a company just starting our adventure into the BTL market – we own 1 property and are nearing completion on the second in the North East. This property is well into Level E of the EPC and I’m looking at options we can do during renovation to up the level getting ready for 2025.

One of the items I’m wanting to investigate is solar PV which seems to gain a lot of points, the other is thermal cladding – but being an end of terrace house, cladding seems to be very expensive. On the other hand, Solar PV (based on websites) seems to be doable if we can increase the rent from £500 to £550

In a discussion with our agent about this, his advice was to forget about this at present as:
* The legislation is still under discussion and will only apply to housing associations from 2025
* He expects the points basis will change as it did when level E was introduced – “suddenly all brick house complied with level E”
*The government, despite killing Green Homes, will make funding available for all house owners

Am I worrying unduly about this proposed legislative change?

Thanks in advance

Mike


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Comments

steve p

23:47 PM, 8th February 2022, About 2 years ago

Here is a question, if you fit solar panels to meet EPC C, can you either a just lease the solar panels to a company and they get the profit or b put in solar panels but sell all the electricity back to the grid and you keep that money...

The problem has always been like a new boiler for a homeowner it saves hundreds on heating and hot water bills so they get the money back, the landlord has all the outlay but none of the return so where is the incentive..?

Reluctant Landlord

8:40 AM, 9th February 2022, About 2 years ago

Reply to the comment left by steve p at 08/02/2022 - 23:47
...which is precisely the reason whey I will never install them. Until the whole 'ownership' question and the fallout that follows on from this is completely clarified I am not going down this route at all.

I don't think this has been looked at or even contemplated before. Like anything else the government is quick to make demands but it it backed up with nothing when you ask why or how.

Reluctant Landlord

8:41 AM, 9th February 2022, About 2 years ago

...which is precisely the reason whey I will never install them. Until the whole 'ownership' question and the fallout that follows on from this is completely clarified I am not going down this route at all.

I don't think this has been looked at or even contemplated before. Like anything else the government is quick to make demands but it it backed up with nothing when you ask why or how.

Chris Byways

9:01 AM, 9th February 2022, About 2 years ago

Heat pumps can lower an EPC! I wasn’t aware of that, but Telegraph reported it 2 days ago, And https://www.thisismoney.co.uk/money/mortgageshome/article-10133315/How-fitting-heat-pump-LOWER-homes-green-rating.html
reported it last October could go down 3 points on an EPC.
PV can improve EPC, but as we pay for installation yet only get a pittance for export it may never pay back.
Install gas CH and the rental value will be higher, but PV? I don’t think so!
So for me too, sit tight until guidance is clear.

Reluctant Landlord

9:06 AM, 9th February 2022, About 2 years ago

Reply to the comment left by Chris Byways at 09/02/2022 - 09:01
too expensive to just lower by three points. If that were the case I'd do all the other lower prices options first . Again just sit and wait like me at the mo. If the government can U turn at the last min on something as easy as retracting the need for NHS staff to be compulsary jabbed then anything is possible!

They have bitten off more they can chew here by simply decreeing decarbonisation is the apparent goal. Ramifications go a lot deeper...and if they expect people to join the cause, then its going to have to be clear and cost effective to do so or it just wont happen.

Chris Byways

9:27 AM, 9th February 2022, About 2 years ago

No, EPC is WORSENED by installing an HP!
(According to those articles. A double whammy)

Rosanne Turvey

10:15 AM, 9th February 2022, About 2 years ago

Reply to the comment left by Chris Byways at 09/02/2022 - 09:27
I have just asked this question on another thread as I hadn't seen this one. I have a number of properties and all but one of them were a C so thought I would be OK with the new rules coming in. I have just had to have my EPC renewed on one of my properties which previously was a C and the assessor has downgraded it to a D! Has anyone else had this happen to them?

TheMaluka

12:25 PM, 9th February 2022, About 2 years ago

Reply to the comment left by Rosanne Turvey at 09/02/2022 - 10:15
Yes I spent half a million externally insulating a block of flats only to have the EPC of several go down a grade. The EPC is not fit for purpose.

Chris Byways

12:48 PM, 14th February 2022, About 2 years ago

As an ASHP can (expensively) make an EPC worse, I wondered what an Electric Boiler or other electric heating would do. I was amazed!
An Energy Assessor writes informatively on the effect this has with reference to Landlords in particular.
https://www.thepropertyac.com/domestic-epc-advice-electric-heating-system/

How ‘green’ electric heating is depends on whether our tariff is a green one, but obviously can’t be reflected in the EPC.

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