How do the government expect us to afford to achieve EPC C rating? 

How do the government expect us to afford to achieve EPC C rating? 

0:03 AM, 20th July 2023, About 10 months ago 30

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Hello, I own a couple of semi-detached properties on a housing estate built in the mid-70s all of which have an EPC rating of D. All properties have modern double glazing, adequate loft insulation, LED lights, and a modern combi gas boiler with TRVs on radiators. To achieve a C it would require cavity wall fill or solar panels which would cost me a year’s rent.

All the other houses on the estate like mine are band D, how do the government expect us to afford to achieve a band C rating?

I am selling up Shelter and the government doesn’t care about you sell, sell, sell whilst you can.

Thanks,

Russell


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Comments

JamesB

7:43 AM, 22nd July 2023, About 10 months ago

Reply to the comment left by DSR at 20/07/2023 - 11:40
Yep.

I live in a rambling 1850s country house with 2 side by side 1980s boilers which are so large that they have a dedicated boiler room. It is an EPC F. My gas bill from last October until today has been standing charge only as we simply turned the heating off.

Some of my EPC grade C HMOS however.....a few hundred pounds a month of gas consumed through the super efficient Vaillant boilers.

Maureen Treadwell

9:17 AM, 22nd July 2023, About 10 months ago

Interestingly, I have a property that is identical to adjacent housing association properties Same boilers, same loft insulation, mine actually has newer double glazing. . The Housing Association does its own EPCs. (I checked carefully as I know several neighbours). They got 'C' rating - mine got D!

roger radford

10:07 AM, 22nd July 2023, About 10 months ago

Reply to the comment left by Keith Williams at 20/07/2023 - 09:42
I own two flats on the top floor of a four-flat converted house. The two downstairs flats are owned by leaseholders. Does the whole property need to be upgraded? Also, one of my properties was graded C eight years ago. Will it still be graded C today?

roger radford

10:07 AM, 22nd July 2023, About 10 months ago

Reply to the comment left by Keith Williams at 20/07/2023 - 09:42I own two flats on the top floor of a four-flat converted house. The two downstairs flats are owned by leaseholders. Does the whole property need to be upgraded? Also, one of my flats was graded C eight years ago. Will it still be graded C today?

John Bentley

10:18 AM, 22nd July 2023, About 10 months ago

Reply to the comment left by Russell Cartner at 22/07/2023 - 07:26
As I've said previously, seal the outer skin of brickwork and no damp gets in to the insulation. No danger.

John Docherty

10:37 AM, 22nd July 2023, About 10 months ago

I spent thousands on bringing a traditional tenement up to modern insulation standards. Lifted all the floors and put in under-floor insulation in a suspended timber floor, stripped all the walls back to put internal insulation in all external walls, dropped the 3.2m ceilings 100mm and put insulation in the ceiling, new double glazing. Really went to town on it. Flat feels amazingly comfortable inside. Got an EPC rating of E with a recommendation to install storage heaters on an Economy 7 meter. Laughed my ass off and put in the bin where it belongs.

John

11:11 AM, 22nd July 2023, About 10 months ago

Reply to the comment left by John Docherty at 22/07/2023 - 10:37
I’m interested in why but assume you have electric panel heaters ?

What insulation size did you put in the walls?

You should get to a D rating with everything you have done, not an E.

As LL’s we need to get our heads around this topic so we understand how it all works. I work with my epc guy so he runs different insulation scenarios with me so I can see how many points you get if you do x as compared to y.

Longer term the EPC cert will change and I think electric heating will be seen as more efficient (lots of cheap power is being generated by solar and wind but it isn’t recognised).

John Docherty

11:29 AM, 22nd July 2023, About 10 months ago

Reply to the comment left by John at 22/07/2023 - 11:11
50mm kingspan in the external walls, 100mm rockwool under-floor and in the suspended ceiling. Reina Colona electric heaters but they don't get official EPC ratings. The tenant will get the benefit of the work for sure, and I'd do it again in a minute, but if you were going purely on current EPC then it's 100% a waste of money going to the time and effort 🙂

Barbara Gwyer

16:06 PM, 24th July 2023, About 10 months ago

Reply to the comment left by Whiteskifreak Surrey at 20/07/2023 - 10:16
I have an issue with a top floor flat in a social housing block of 60 flats. In common with all the other flats on the top floor, it is D rated and will remain so without insulation of the flat roof. Wandsworth refuse to consider this because currently it doesn't apply to social housing until 2035. My choices are reduce the height of already quite low rooms through an insulated internal ceiling or sell. Hm....

Andrew Marsh

23:11 PM, 24th July 2023, About 10 months ago

We have a higher D rated 1970's semi detached. The Assessor has recommended the removal of the secondary heating system (wall mounted electric feature fire place) as it is deemed inefficient and now it has been removed is due to achieve a C rating.

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