JUST how green is your home? You will soon be forced to know, when an energy performance certificate (EPC) becomes part of the compulsory home information pack on June 1. Before you can sell your property you will be required to submit to a visit from an energy inspector, whose report you must provide to potential buyers.

Bricks and Mortar followed one energy inspector — Martin Hughes, from the chartered surveyor firm Now Survey — on a visit to a large family home in Surrey. Armed with a clipboard, tape measure and torch, Hughes gets to work measuring rooms, looking up chimneys and crawling into loft spaces. The inspection can take from 45 minutes to a few hours, depending on the size and type of property. He methodically works his way around the house, both inside and out, gathering as much data as possible.

An EPC will score a property using the UK’s Standard Assessment Procedure ratings on a scale from A to G: an A rating would mean that the energy efficiency of your home is excellent, a G that it is an environmental disaster. The scale relates to the energy use per square metre of floor area, energy efficiency based on fuel costs and environmental impact based on carbon dioxide emissions. Hughes says: “I input all the information from my visit into a software package that does all the calculations. Within three to four days the seller will receive my report with recommendations. And it is up to them whether they change anything to become more energy-efficient.”

There is one part of the energy assessment that is still being ironed out: the price. There are differing views on the charges. Figures from £80 to £150 have been bandied around but it looks more likely to settle on the lower end of this once Hips have been fully introduced.

Ian McCagherty, the prospective seller in this case, thinks the verdict on his house will be an interesting benchmark. “We have had some work done but as it is quite an old house there will be a lot more we can do.” As with many families, it is his four children who are more environmentally aware. “They are the ones who remind Mum and Dad to turn off lights and electrical equipment,” McCagherty admits. He hopes the report will give him an idea of small things that he can do that could make a difference and what can be done for a greater impact.

Hughes admits that in most properties he inspects it is the same old culprits that waste energy. “Wall cavities are the big problem, followed by the roof, windows and then nonefficient boilers.” If homeowners are prepared to invest only a few hundred pounds they can save on future energy bills. For example, filling wall cavities with blown fibre will save over £100 a year in energy bills.

Three days later and the results are in. The nine-page report, which cost £150, rates the property as an E although there is the potential for a D. Typical recommendations include replacing traditional light bulbs with energy-saving ones (an annual saving of £57) or upgrading loft insulation to 250mm, to save £82 a year. No action is needed but with “green guilt” a real issue these days, ignoring a low rating could affect the sale of your property.

www.now-survey.com

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