EPC Reform
Energy Performance Certificates (EPCs) play a crucial role in advancing the UK’s retrofit goals by enabling professionals to assess building performance and inform decision-making. However, the current EPC system has faced widespread critique, with calls for reform to make it a more effective tool for large-scale, high-quality retrofit initiatives.
Recognising this need, the National Retrofit Hub (NRH) has published The Future of Energy Performance Certificates: A Roadmap for Change, a comprehensive report advocating essential updates to EPCs.
Released ahead of the government’s anticipated EPC reform consultation, this report consolidates findings from a thorough research effort, including desktop analysis, cross-sector engagement workshops, and insights from over 300 industry professionals. It presents an eight-stage roadmap designed to meet the industry’s need for greater accuracy, reliability, and relevance in EPCs.
NRH encourages industry stakeholders to download the report, draw on its insights for the upcoming consultation, and share it widely to ensure a broad, informed response to this critical policy opportunity.
NRH EPC Reform Report
This document details how EPCs are currently used, identifies barriers preventing EPCs from incentivising home improvement, and outlines an eight-point phased plan for reform.
Literature Review
This resource includes a summary of EPC reform recommendations from various sources, highlighting key focus areas. It enables our community to understand the breadth of the current conversation and existing recommendations.
EPC Reform Consultation: Our Response
New guidance released on retrofitting the flat-fronted Victorian terraced archetype, with practical tips and resources for homeowners on how to improve energy efficiency.
Workshop Insights
This section presents key themes from a workshop held on 20th May 2024, where we reviewed existing recommendations from the literature and gathered participant feedback.
EPC REPORT – THE FUTURE OF EPCs: A ROADMAP FOR CHANGE
The NRH is proud to present this report, created to support the transformation of Energy Performance Certificates (EPCs) into a powerful, reliable tool for large-scale, high-quality retrofitting across the UK. Published in anticipation of the government’s consultation on EPC reform, the report outlines an eight-stage roadmap developed through rigorous research, including desktop analysis, cross-sector engagement, and feedback from over 300 industry professionals.
This roadmap addresses critical industry needs for improved EPC accuracy, credibility, and relevance. With these changes, EPCs can play a pivotal role in the UK’s retrofit journey, driving actionable insights, consumer trust, and effective policy decisions.
We encourage you to explore the report’s findings, apply its insights in preparation for the consultation, and help us amplify these recommendations by sharing them widely.
LITERATURE REVIEW
In the below table, you can find recommendations for EPC reform from a variety of sources. For each we have provided our own summary, and highlighted key areas of focus. This resource is provided so that our community can understand the scope of the discussion, and recommendations already on the table.
The National Retrofit Hub does not directly endorse any of the documents linked, but are grateful to these organisations for engaging within the conversation.
This is a live resource, if you’re aware of other reports or ongoing work on the subject, please get in touch at info@nationalretrofithub.org.uk.
Please note, this list isn’t an endorsement by The National Retrofit Hub but we hope having all the information in one place will be helpful!
EPC REFORM CONSULTATION: OUR RESPONSE
Since May 2024, the National Retrofit Hub has been conducting an in-depth exploration into how EPCs could be reformed to enable the local delivery of good quality retrofit at scale. We conducted cross-sectoral engagement to build a consensus on the change needed.
We welcome the Government’s EPDB Framework Consultation, and hope to continue engagement to ensure EPCs deliver on their full potential.
This document should be read alongside the National Retrofit Hub Report ‘The Future of Energy Performance Certificates: A Roadmap for Change’.
Read our full response here.
WORKSHOP INSIGHTS
On 20th May, the National Retrofit Hub held an online workshop, bringing together members of our Working Group 1: Warm, Healthy, Net Zero Homes and Working Group 2: Supply Chain Products and solutions, plus other interested members of our network. There were 100 attendees at the meeting, with representatives with the following types of roles within the retrofit sector:
Consultants, designers and retrofit coordinators
Project managers
Planning consultants and officers
Researchers and academics
Policy makers / advisors
Social housing providers and estates managers
Energy modellers
Technical specialists and standards authors
Lecturers and training providers
Andrew Parkin of the Property Energy Assessors Association (PEPA) gave the audience an overview of the EPC process, and changes to date. We then presented the audience with a summary of existing recommendations, based on the literature review, and gathered their feedback through a mentimeter survey, and via comments in the zoom chat. We discussed the following themes:
Metrics
Consumer awareness
Upgrade recommendations included within EPCs
Validity period
Scope and purpose of EPCs
EPC data access
The NRH is supported by Innovate UK, The MCS Foundation, our partners and sponsors.
Our work on EPC reform is sponsored by:
