When you decide to sell your home, is your EPC rating top of your agenda? Most of the time, the first thing that comes to mind is to make your home more attractive and appealing to buyers. Whether redecorating, installing a new kitchen, replacing the carpets or tidying the garden, these all help to sell your home. However, homeowners often overlook the all-important EPC rating, which is just as crucial.

What is the EPC?
The Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) is the government’s rating of a property’s energy efficiency. By improving this rating, you can also improve your home’s appeal to buyers.  You can even demand a higher asking price, based on the improved energy efficiency of your home.
Research from MoneySuperMarket has backed this up with new research that shows if vendors improve their EPC rating from the average D to a high A, it could have a massive impact on the property value. The EPC report rating is based on the type and the layout of the property, the heating, cooling and hot water systems and lighting. The research reveals that an increase from the lowest rating G to F, could increase the price of your home by 6 percent on average, whereas improving the rating from an A or B, could boost the price by as much as 14 percent.

So how you can improve your EPC rating?
If you’re interested in increasing the value of the property you’re selling or even saving money on your current home, it is essential to know how to improve your EPC rating. Here are some tips for improving energy efficiency in your home:

• Installing insulation for your water pipes (lagging jackets) could greatly improve the hot water tank’s efficiency.
• Replacing traditional light bulbs with energy saving bulbs or LED lights – minimal effort and a significant saving.
• Installing cavity wall insulation could save you more than £150 a year and improve the overall efficiency rating.
• Upgrading your boiler is an expensive job, however a new boiler will significantly benefit the efficiency of your property and is also likely to be very attractive to a buyer.
• Reviewing your existing EPC (if you have one) could help you identify specific areas which are worth looking at.

Stephen Murray- an energy expert at MoneySuperMarket advises, “Improving your energy rating can significantly increase your sale price for a relatively low cost. But it’s also valuable for other homeowners who aren’t planning to sell their properties, as a higher energy rating means greater home efficiency and reduced energy bills.
With relatively simple changes such as insulation, lagging pipes and energy efficient light bulbs, you can not only increase your properties value, but also reduce your energy bills while you live in it. Those looking to stay for a longer time will see greater benefits from investing in insulation, or in renewable energy sources such as solar panels and biomass boilers. We fully recommend looking into all the ways to increase your EPC rating and then getting an updated certificate to reflect the improvements.”

If your home requires an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC), Jameson and Partners can easily provide this service for you. Get in touch with us today.