Really poor EPC

[gravelrash]

So finally had as built epc done on Flat roofed 125M2 masonry bungalow. U-values roof .10, floor .10, walls .13, windows and doors average at .9. Airtightness 0.8ach. Gas Combi but its used 170Kw during 23days of november for heating at 18c with no one living in house.  I thought I had done pretty well on a tight budget.  EPC is B -85 what the !!! no suggested possible improvement apart from 2.5Kw solar. 

So EPC not really worth the paper when you consider my current 20year old barn conversion got b -81

[ProDave]

Was that a full SAP assesment taking ALL the actual details of the as built house, e,g actual UW values of each window?

[Bozza]

I think you’re upset that because you put a lot of effort into insulation and build but “only” got a B rating?    I got a B-87 and mine is really well insulated 3G etc, HP etc.    To get my house A rated would be incredibly hard and involving options that weren’t for me solar, turbines, ground source, etc which were outwith budget.

 

I don’t think it’s possible to get an A rated house unless you put a tremendous effort into the renewables and build method that is very expensive, eg passive.  It’s only fair that those who do those things (including some BH members) achieve a rating higher for their efforts.  I doubt it’s even possible to achieve an A using fossil fuels for energy.

 

also if it was too easy to achieve A that would undermine the rating system.

 

B rated is not a substandard build.  You and I have not built crap inefficient poorly insulated houses.  It’s just we didn’t put in additional renewables.    Your house will be one of the most efficient houses in your area, no doubt of that.

 

if anything the EPC is confirming that you’ve done everything you can - next to installing renewable / non fossil fuel energy supply options. If you had built a crap house it wouldn’t have achieved an B 85.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited November 24, 2023 by Bozza

[Nick Laslett]

I would not worry about it. You have been penalised for the gas and not having solar. 
 

You will actually have real financial savings in your monthly bills due to the good insulation. 

[joe90]

1 minute ago, Nick Laslett said:

You will actually have real financial savings in your monthly bills due to the good insulation. 

That was exactly what drove my build, cheaper to run in my retirement and comfortable.

[saveasteading]

We have an office that we built ourselves. I was  very disappointed with a D Rating, because air source was considered a bad thing then, and no gimmicks.

We have just had it reassessed, with no changes, and got a B.

 

B is good. 

The epc programme used to be seriously flawed and probably still is.

Build quality, other than air test, isn't accounted for.

Look at the recent discussion on the house with missing insulation, which was signed off.

So don't stress. Well done.

[Alan Ambrose]

@gravelrash  - have you been through the analysis and results to check that the assessor hasn't put in any daft assumptions or made silly errors? It's usually a quick-and-dirty process, and low quality assessors just 'assume' stuff, sometimes wrongly, if it's quicker for them.

[joe90]

This happened to me on a house I sold, I managed to contact the surveyor (you can search on the internet somewhere) who agreed to alter it on my say so of what I knew about the house.

[ProDave]

I wonder if part of the issue in this case was it is a bungalow?  the most efficient practical building from a heat loss point of view is a cube.  A bungalow will have a lot more roof and floor to lose heat than the same square metres of house over 2 floors.

 

When I instructed our assessor to do the as built EPC my instructions to him were if it does not achieve an A, do not lodge the EPC, instead discuss with me what improvements I need to make first to get an A.  It mase an A94 without needing improvement.