EPC's and potential improvements to a 22year old timber frame house

[Kuro507]

We are just in the process of buying a new home, the EPC is a high C and I happened to notice a couple of mistakes.

I decided to email the Company who issued it and ask if they could review it.

 

In fairness to them, they accepted a couple of my points and that things like double glazing were incorrect and it should have been trippled glazed.

I had some additional information on the timerframe construction, which again they took into account when re-doing the EPC.

 

It improved 1 point, and thats it!

 

Then at the end of the report, you get the usual - install floor insulation, install solar hot water (we have a combi, so would need a tank etc), install a wind turbine and it could be a 'A'.

 

I know these SAP calculations are flawed and so much depends on what the assesor selects.  But, by now there must be some knowledge out in the community about what main changes can be done to improve the numbers. Somebody must have sat down with one of the SAP programmes and tried different combiantions of options to see what difference it made to the numbers?

 

It would be good to know what realistic improvements we could make to bring it up to a low B, its now at 79 and only needs 2 points to become a B. Some of the mortgage lenders are now offering lower interest rates to properties with A or B, so not only would it be worthwhile improving a few things to reduce our running costs, it could also reduce our mortgage cost.

 

There is also a large possibility of us doing a single storey rear extension, where again insulation and building control 'expectations' are going to have to be considered.

 

As always, I value your thoughts and ideas on this  

[marshian]

My opinion is EPC’s are a rough guide but in general they aren’t really worth the paper they are written on (if they are issued in paper still)

 

I live on a small estate roughly 66 houses all 3 & 4 bed - the ratings vary from E to C 

 

When I talked to an assessor about getting one done (prep work for a BUS grant if I went down the ASHP route rather than replace my gas boiler) I was specific about asking if improvements I have made would result in a better rating - it was I might scrape a C but without solar no chance of a B

 

I’ve replaced my gas boiler