A group of property energy professionals in the property sector are criticising Which? claims over how accurate Energy Performance Certificates and criteria are.

The consumer organisation says across the UK there are countless millions of households worried about how best to keep their homes warm in the winter months and are very apprehensive about high energy costs. It states that an EPC could be an invaluable source of information and should be an important source of guidance to reach the (seemingly impossible) Net Zero target in 2050.

Which? claims that from a recent government study it found low public awareness and understanding of EPC ratings and says: “There is now considerable evidence that too many EPCs do not provide an accurate assessment of the energy efficiency of a home, the metrics that are used are confusing for consumers, and there is a need to provide new information that would support consumers in the decisions they need to make. The presentation of EPCs also needs to be improved to make them more accessible and useful to consumers.”

The organisation says the only way EPCs can effectively support consumers is they must provide more accessible, accurate, relevant information and advice to the general public.

However The Property Energy Professionals Association complains that Which? made no contact with the body before the claim was featured and is calling for the organisation to supply evidence backing up its claim, to corroborate that the issue is more than the public being not able to understand what an EPC achieves or does not achieve.

Property Energy Professionals Association says it fully supports the Which? call for EPCs to include more information and guidance to individual properties rather than just one ‘headline’ result.

However Andrew Parkin, the PEPA chair, says: “We were not invited by Which? to input into this work, which we would happily have done, and indeed would have been able to provide valuable information to assist them with their research … we are disappointed to read that a well-worn and outdated phrase has been repeated in their release that states ‘There is now considerable evidence that EPCs do not provide an accurate assessment of the energy efficiency of a home’.

“PEPA is clear that the outcome Which? seeks in respect of EPCs fulfilling a vital role in underpinning specific advice to help homeowners improve the energy efficiency of their homes and reduce their carbon footprint is totally in alignment with PEPA’s manifesto. Working together may have provided a more accurate report and a better overall result.”

PEPA is the trade association for companies that provide EPCs, Display Energy Certificates (DECs) and Air Conditioning Inspection Reports (ACIRs).

Which? called for a number of reforms should be made to the EPC process, including:

EPCs should have more than one headline or primary metric in order to support consumers’ understanding of energy use in the property and the choices they can make. The choice of metrics should be tested with consumers, but could include the property’s energy use, its cost, the heating system and the environmental impact;

EPCs should include more information to support consumers in the transition from fossil fuel heating to new low carbon heating systems including the environmental impact of their current heating system and when it is likely to need updating; the ability of the building and heating system to benefit from flexible tariffs; the ability of the building to generate energy through solar thermal or PV panels; and information about potential heat networks, drawn from the Local Energy Action Plans that all councils are now required to develop;

The advice in an EPC should be relevant to the type of property and provide an accessible gateway to sources of further information and advice;

The EPC should link to a Building Passport or Log Book that contains more detailed information about the building and plans.

The consumer organisation also calls for EPC data to be made far more accessible and available through apps, online services, certificates must be updated regularly and for consumers who are unable to access digital information to be given hard copy versions.

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