Long-term utility bill reduction can be achieved by updating some aspects of your home to increase its energy efficiency from an E to a C rating. Additionally, greening up your home might raise its worth. Properties with the highest energy ratings are worth up to £40,000 more on average than homes with lower ratings, according to survey data published by Halifax in 2021.

Consider using the suggestions on your prior EPC as a starting point for making changes to your house. Installing insulation, replacing your boiler, investing in renewable energy sources, or converting to LED light bulbs are all examples of improvement steps that can lower the energy use of your building.

Landlords are required to make improvements to their homes that increase their energy efficiency for a maximum of £3,500. The ceiling will increase to $10,000 when the rules are strengthened in 2025. Getting started on improving the energy efficiency of your home now might help you stretch out the expense, give you more time to look for grant money, and avoid the inevitable rush.

EPC requirements for landlords

You might have to pay more to raise your EPC rating on top of the original cost of having your house appraised and an EPC produced.

A property with an EPC rating below E cannot be rented out. Therefore, if you wish to rent out the property, you will have to pay to raise your rating.

Landlords cannot rent out or keep renting out houses with an EPC rating below E as of 1 April 2020 unless they have a legitimate exception in place. There is a list of exemptions on the official website. Your property is probably not exempt, though. In order to get a better rating, you could have to pay hundreds of pounds.

As a result, the government has set a limit on how much you can spend. This implies that the maximum amount you will ever have to spend on energy efficiency upgrades is £3,500 (including VAT).

Of However, if your house can be upgraded to an EPC E for less money, you won’t need to spend up to £3,500. You will have fulfilled your responsibility if you can upgrade your home to E for a price below the cap.

The government advises installing all suggested measures that can be implemented within that amount if upgrading your house to E will cost more than £3,500, at which point you should register for an exemption.

Since October 1, 2017, any energy efficiency upgrades you’ve made to your home are eligible for the £3,500 cost cap.