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Agents believe that energy certificates don’t help sell a property

Although the intention was to help improve the energy efficiency of housing stock County Homesearch, which has 26 offices nationwide, said it has not come across a single case where buyers have queried the energy performance of a home to negotiate a price. Furthermore, no transactions have been driven down in price because of a poor EPC since the introduction of the assessment in 2007.

Despite the claim of the Department of Energy and Climate Change that sellers making energy improvements to a property could boost its value by even more than the average, by as much as 38%, the independent home buying company said it is not a high priority for buyers.

‘With extensive knowledge of what is happening on the ground, it safe to say the EPC is a blunt instrument and has made no discernible difference to housing stock in the country,’ said Jonathan Haward, spokesperson for County Homesearch.

‘Aside from the fact that the reports can sometimes be inaccurate and incomplete, buyers prioritise factors such as aesthetics, transport links and security over energy efficiency. The structural survey is usually relied upon for in depth information on levels of insulation which is an indication to energy consumption within a property,’ he explained.

‘Buyers that go for larger period properties or listed properties are least interested in energy efficiency. They proceed, aware they are likely to be drafty and have higher heating costs, ignoring the EPC report even if one is applicable,’ he added.
The firm’s experts around the country confirm that it is not doing anything to boost sales and can even be a hindrance.

‘My experience of EPC’s is that the information on the report is often inaccurate or inappropriate. I saw one recently that recommended double glazing to be installed on a listed building and a recommendation for a new efficient gas boiler when the property ran on heating oil and did not have connection to mains gas,’ said Richard Le Neve Foster, director at County Homesearch Thames and Chilterns.

Andreas Bonney, director at County Homesearch East Anglia, said that he tends to advise clients to treat them as a rough guide only. ‘They simply take a guess at the energy efficiency of a home based on its period and the typical type of building materials used at the time of the build,’ he pointed out.

‘EPCs are never ever mentioned by agent, vendor or purchaser. Nobody has ever questioned an EPC to me since they were introduced,’ said Stephen Wolfenden, Director at County Homesearch Oxfordshire.

Under UK government legislation, all houses and flats for sale must have an EPC, which ranks houses on a scale of A to G, with the most efficient receiving an A rating. It covers heating, roofing, glazing, wall insulation, floor space, solar heating and photovoltaics.

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