Almost 1.7 million do not have the potential to improve higher than an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) rating of between D and G, according to fresh analysis of over 15 million homes across England & Wales by Rightmove.
Gwynedd in Wales has the highest proportion of homes with an EPC rating of D or below (77.4%), which could be reduced to 21.7% of homes if recommended improvements were made, according to the study
Castle Point in Essex comes in second with 77.2% of homes rated D or below, though it has the potential to reduce to 13% of all homes
Tower Hamlets in London has the lowest proportion of homes with a current EPC rating of D or below, at 27.4%.
The government’s current aspiration is to have as many homes as possible reach a C rating by 2035 in England and Wales, with an earlier target of 2030 for private rented homes.
Across England and Wales, 59% of homes have a D, E, F or G rating and there is the potential for this to be reduced to 11% of homes if recommended improvements were made, according to the research.
Tim Bannister, Rightmove’s director of property data, said: “It’s encouraging to see that there are some energy efficiency improvements that can cost less than £100, so it’s definitely worth checking your EPC if your home has one to see if there are small changes you could make to try and improve your rating.
“The bigger challenge is for those homes with much lower ratings that will cost a substantial amount of money to improve. There are a number of homeowners who don’t feel an urgent need to make changes now unless it makes a big difference to the cost of their household bills or if it’s going to make their home more attractive to a potential buyer if they’re planning to sell.
“It’s early days with some lenders now starting to introduce green mortgages as incentives, but homeowners need to be better informed that how green your home is will become increasingly important as we aim to move towards a net zero society, and they need more help to understand why making improvements are so important for the long term.”
| Recommendation in EPC |
Average cost (nationally) |
| Insulating hot water cylinder | £23 |
| Low energy lighting in all areas | £38 |
| Draughtproofing single glazed windows | £100 |
| Increasing loft insulation | £223 |
| Upgrading heating controls | £400 |
Ten areas with the highest proportion of homes with an energy rating of D or below:
| Local authority |
% of homes that currently have an EPC rating D or below |
% of homes unable to meet EPC rating C
|
| Gwynedd | 77.4% | 21.7% |
| Castle Point | 77.2% | 13.0% |
| Pendle | 76.9% | 12.8% |
| Denbighshire | 74.6% | 14.8% |
| Ceredigion | 74.2% | 17.3% |
| Hyndburn | 74.2% | 10.9% |
| Staffordshire Moorlands | 73.8% | 11.6% |
| Burnley | 73.6% | 9.8% |
| Blackpool | 73.0% | 10.4% |
| Southend-on-Sea | 72.0% | 19.2% |
Ten areas with lowest proportion of homes with an energy rating of D or below:
| Local authority |
% of homes that currently have an EPC rating D or below |
% of homes unable to meet EPC rating C
|
| Tower Hamlets | 27.4% | 8.3% |
| Hackney | 39.2% | 11.1% |
| Southwark | 41.7% | 12.9% |
| Salford | 42.7% | 7.4% |
| Milton Keynes | 42.8% | 5.7% |
| Islington | 43.4% | 14.1% |
| Greenwich | 43.8% | 10.7% |
| Corby | 44.2% | 5.9% |
| Peterborough | 45.1% | 6.1% |
| Dartford | 46.2% | 7.2% |
Ten areas with the potential to have the lowest proportion of homes with an energy rating of D or below if improvements were made:
| Local authority |
% of homes that currently have an EPC rating D or below
|
% of homes unable to meet EPC rating C |
| Crawley | 46.6% | 4.7% |
| Milton Keynes | 42.8% | 5.7% |
| Telford and Wrekin | 46.9% | 5.8% |
| Sunderland | 56.6% | 5.8% |
| Corby | 44.2% | 5.9% |
| Knowsley | 48.8% | 5.9% |
| Peterborough | 45.1% | 6.1% |
| Eastleigh | 48.9% | 6.1% |
| Halton | 52.9% | 6.2% |
| Redditch | 55.5% | 6.3% |
That will be 1.7 million unlettable properties.
It won’t be worthwhile improving to EPC C status.
Best LL sell off these dud properties.
Where the roughly 3 million tenants will go nobody knows?
Doubful if any of the removed tenants will be able to afford to buy the letting properties they currently occupy.
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Are EPC’s Really about Energy Efficiency. It looks to me that they are more about cost of ownership. Tell me how a property with a rating of F (21) when equipped with ‘ELECTRIC’ modern, thermostatically controlled, 7 day timers can go to a D (63) just by installing Gas central heating. Is the property any more efficient? No. It’s just that gas is a quarter of the price per KwHr. You know, Gas. That energy source that we are supposed to be banning over the next 25 years? Joined up thinking not required for the job.
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