You know what an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) is, but what exactly does an assessor do when they visit your house? If you call EPC Bromley to arrange an domestic energy assessment then what can you expect when they visit?
Have a look below for a summary of the items that EPC Bromley will consider during the assessment for your EPC.
House Age and Build Type
Working out the year that the house and any extensions were built will tell us what the building regulations were at that time and therefore how energy efficient the house is in general. A house built in 1930 would have had no insulation fitted to the walls as a regulation, this is not the case with a house built in 2010.
The build type (detached, terrace, flat) tells us where the heat may be escaping from. A detached house generally has at least four cold walls whereas a semi will have one shared wall which is warm. A flat could be heated from all sides and have a communal corridor area which is heated too.
Dimensions
Quite simply we measure the volume of your property. We need to know the amount of space you have to heat before we make a judgement on how you heat it. We’ll also consider whether you have a conservatory.
If your conservatory has an outside door sealing it off then it is discounted, if it is open plan then it is included and considered a source where heat can escape more easily.
Walls
Wall types are generally solid, cavity or timber framed and are as efficient as the regulations in place when they were built. Traditionally, solid walls without insulation were used on houses until well into the 1930s, this kind of wall is very inefficient.
If it is a cavity wall then we check whether the cavity has been filled with insulation retrospectively, as originally cavity walls were not filled.
Roofs
We poke our head into the loft and see whether it is insulated, if it has then how deep is it? Traditional insulation at the joists should be at least 270 mm deep. Remember, if you crush it down with floorboards to 100 mm then it is only 100 mm effective.
Floors
Are they solid or suspended floorboards, has it been insulated or do you have another dwelling below you?
Openings
We consider how many doors you have and whether those doors are insulated. We look at how much glazing you have and whether it is single, double or triple glazed. If it’s double glazed we consider what year it was installed, double glazing installed from 2002 onwards is much more efficient than glazing fitted before then.
If it was fitted before 2002 then we consider the frame type (metal, pic or wood) and the gap between the panes of glass.
We also look at how much draught proofing is in place.
Ventilation & Lighting
We look at how many fireplaces the property has and whether these are open, we also look for any mechanical ventilation or cooling systems that are in place.
We count the amount of light fittings and at the same time we count how many of these have low energy bulbs in place.
Heating Systems
How do you heat your home? If you use a traditional boiler then we consider how efficient that boiler is. Modern condensing boilers get the highest efficiency scores.
We consider how the heat is distributed (radiators, underfloor) and how that heat is controlled. Properties that have a room thermostat, thermostatic radiator valves and a heating timer will score highest.
If your property has more than one heating system then this is also considered as well as any secondary heaters such as a gas or electric fires in the reception rooms.
Water
How do you heat your water? Do you have a combination boiler or a hot water cylinder? If it’s a cylinder then how large is it? Is it insulated? Does it have a thermostat? We then consider how many bath/shower rooms are in the property, how many of these have baths, showers or both?
We also look at other options for water heating which may be in place. These include solar water heating, waster water heat recovery systems (WWHRS) and flue gas heat recovery systems (FGHRS).
New Technologies
We investigate if you have any other new technologies in place like solar photovoltaic panels or a wind turbine. The terrain you live in is considered(urban, suburban, rural) which determines whether a wind turbine would be suitable.
Checks are made at this point to see what type of electricity meter the property is has (dual or single charge). If the house isn’t heated by a gas boiler, we see whether there is a gas meter indicating it would be an option.
Any other info
Here’s where you can note whether the property has a swimming pool or uses a more obscure way to heat itself. For example micro CHP or a biofuel that isn’t listed in the usual database.
If you don’t understand some of these points, feel free to get in touch with EPC Bromley and ask. Otherwise your EPC Bromley assessor will be happy to answer any questions you may have whilst the survey is taking place.