How to prepare for your EPC survey - What we will be looking for

Although the EPC has been around since late 2007, there’s still is a lot of homeowners who’ve never had an EPC survey done before. In this article we’ll show you exactly what is inspected, measured, what evidence is gathered and how getting accurate data into the EPC software is crucial to you getting an accurate report back.

Also, we’ll tell you what we need from you, what we need access to, what information we need you to supply us on the day and how having all this prepared beforehand will allow us to get your EPC delivered as quick as possible.

Property Age, extensions & conversions

One of the key areas of the EPC is in correctly identifying the age of your property. With the advent of property websites such as Rightmove with their sold prices information, it’s become much easier to determine the build dates of more modern houses, those in particular built post mid 90’s, but before then, information can be sparse.

The reason this is important lies in the EPC software being tied closely to the building regulations. If a property is in an ‘as built’ state, meaning that no additional retro fit insulation has been added since construction, the software will determine the insulation levels to be based on what was in the building regulations at its time of construction.

So, a property let’s say built in 2000 will get a much better rating than one built in 1980 because the building regulations have become stricter and the levels of insulation required to meet the regs have increased significantly over this time. This is why it’s important for homeowners to try and help us to date the property as accurately as possible.

If you don’t know the original construction date then try asking neighbours who may have been in the area longer than you have, see if you have any legal documents from your purchase which often contains original conveyances which will be dated, planning approvals or other documents also can help to age the property.

The same is important if your property has had any extensions or loft/garage conversions. We must be able to accurately date these the same as the main property, it’s ideal if you can supply a building control completion certificate as this shows us when the extension/conversion was completed and also confirms that it complies to the building regulations at the time of its completion.

This allows us to get the most accurate data into the software rather than having to make an experienced guess at the age from brickwork style, window reveal depth or trying to find information on local authority planning sites which can very hit and miss.

Inspecting your loft insulation

Loft insulation is a big part of the EPC and it’s very important that we can access as much as possible. The depth of the insulation will be measured, photographed and the type of party wall between you and any neighbouring property will be checked. Access to the loft is important if you want a good rating, because we can only input what we can see and take evidence of.

If your loft is fully boarded then please try in advance of our visit to remove a small portion of the boarding so we can identify the type and depth of the insulation underneath and both measure and photograph it. Please be aware that if your loft contains hazardous materials such as Asbestos used in flues, loft hatches, cold water tanks and some types of insulation materials, then we will not be able to access this due to health & safety regulations and defaults based on property age will have to be used.

For parts of a property with no loft access due to no hatch being present then again, the software will default to the buildings age relevant assumptions will be made based on this unless access can be provided for us to adequately identity the insulation type and thickness.

Wall thickness, type and insulation

The type of walls your property has is very important. Solid walls and cavity walls differ greatly in terms of their insulating value and will therefore impact on the energy rating. We will measure the thickness of the walls, photograph and check for any insulation that is present. If you’ve had cavity wall insulation done then please try to supply a certificate of completion from the installation company.

If this is not available then it is also normally possible to identify this externally by looking for the drill holes used to pump the insulation in but also some properties have cavity fill installed by removing a few bricks which can make identification more difficult. Identification of cavity fill is also sometimes visible in external meter cupboards and in loft spaces.

Identifying the make and model of your heating system

Identification of your heating system and its level of efficiency is a crucial part of the EPC survey. We will need to check what rooms are heated, the type of heater you have in these rooms and If you have a boiler or a heat pump, the exact model of the boiler will be required to give the most accurate rating.

If the exact make & model of your boiler isn’t available, then default options based on its age and type are available to us but it is much more preferable to accurately identify the actual boiler.

We will also look to see whether you have a thermostat, a programmer, thermostatic radiator valves, and any other heating controls that may be present and will note and photograph these alongside noting down any secondary forms of heating you may have such as fires, portable heaters, or solid fuel stoves etc.

Your hot water heating

Identification of water heating also plays a large part in the final rating of your property. If you have a hot water cylinder then we will need access to this to determine its capacity, type of insulation present and presence of cylinder thermostats and immersion heaters.

We need to get a clear photograph of the cylinder so if you have an airing cupboard full of clothes then please remove these prior to the visit so we can get unobstructed access the cylinder. If your hot water comes directly from a combi boiler this will not be relevant to you.

Your windows

The type of windows you have – for example, single, double, or triple glazing – and the age of the windows will be checked. With double glazing, the width of the gap between the windowpanes will also be measured. With single glazing, the draught-proofing present is also checked. For double glazing we will identify if the windows have UPVC or wooden frames.

If you know the age of your windows then please advise us of this, ideally provide proof of age such as Fensa certificates or invoices from the manufacturer or installation company detailing the type of windows fitted and their level of efficiency. Please try to have this information to hand at the time of the survey.

Lighting

The number of lights in the property and the number of energy efficient lights are checked and photographed.

Your bathrooms

We will add up the number of rooms in the property classified as ‘habitable’, excluding rooms like utility rooms and small kitchens. We also add up the number of bathrooms present and the number of showers and baths of both types.

Renewable technologies

If you have any solar panels, solar thermal, wind turbine or any other type of renewable electricity or heat generation, then this will need to be included as well. The size of the system is the main concern here. With PV installations please try to provide us with the MCS certificate which will show us the peak output of the system and show us that the installation was carried out to a satisfactory standard.

We will also need to see and photograph the panels, identify their orientation, and see/photograph the inverter and generation meter if applicable. Please try to have all this information available at the time of the survey to avoid unnecessary delays in issuing your EPC certificate.

Creating a floor plan

Once all this evidence has been gathered, we will then create a simple floor plan of the property to work out the area of the property and the amount of heat loss and partition walls. This is much more basic than the floor plans typically carried out by an estate agent, and it is kept in a draft form only for the purpose of calculations.

We often get asked if we can produce floor plans for the client as well as the EPC; this would add an additional cost, simply because it is beyond the remit of the EPC and these basic sketches and therefore this isn’t a service that we offer.

Photographic evidence

As we go around the property, we will need to take multiple photos to gather evidence to support why we are entering certain values into the software. This is because a percentage of the work carried out by EPC assessors is audited by our accreditation body, and it is essential the surveyor can justify why they have entered a certain value.

Photographs are also important to assist us when entering the data into the software when we may have visited multiple properties in a day, and we need them to identify one property from another. We will only photograph items of relevance to the survey, none of these are accessible to anyone other than the assessor and are deleted once past the required timescale for audit.

Documentary evidence

If there are things you have installed, like wall insulation, room-in-roof insulation, or floor insulation for example, that are not easily able to be accessed and measured on the day then we will need to see documentation showing exactly what has been installed, photographs taken during installation can be very useful for this so please try to have them available on the day please. If this is not available, the benefits of this insulation will not be able to be included in the final EPC, as we must be able to show it is present.

Producing your EPC

Following our visit, your EPC is created using all the measurements and evidence gathered on site. This is usually done back in the office, and you will get your EPC within the timescale we confirm on the day as sometimes this will vary depending on our workload at any given time.

If you have any questions about how an EPC works or what is involved in the survey, just let us know! This article covers some of the most basic parts of the survey, which is usually required in every home, but there are various additional items that need to be recorded, depending on the home in question. Every home is a little different!