Energy PerformanceCertificates
An energy performance certificate records a property's assessed energy efficiency. It gives the property a rating from A to G and lists recommended improvements.
An EPC is needed when a property is sold, rented out or newly built, subject to exceptions. It must be commissioned before marketing where no valid certificate already exists, and only an accredited assessor can produce one.
Which route applies?
Three situations, three different first moves. Start with the one that describes you.
Route 01
Selling or letting
Check whether a valid certificate already exists.
If none does, an EPC must be commissioned before the property goes on the market, and the energy rating has to be stated in the advertisement where it is available.
Route 02
Buying or renting
Ask to see the certificate, then read it properly.
Check the address matches the property, look at the issue date, and read the current rating rather than the potential one. A valid EPC must be given to the eventual buyer or tenant free of charge.
Route 03
Landlord with an F or G rating
Read the minimum-standard guidance before letting.
Covered privately rented homes in England and Wales cannot be let, or continue to be let, below band E unless a valid exemption has been registered.
Understand the certificate
The rating scale, and the six things worth checking on any certificate you are shown.
The A–G scale
Band A 92–100 Most efficient
Above the current minimum of band E for covered privately rented homes. The standard does not apply to every property.
Band B 81–91 Very efficient
Above the current minimum of band E for covered privately rented homes. The standard does not apply to every property.
Band C 69–80 Efficient
Above the current minimum of band E for covered privately rented homes. The standard does not apply to every property.
Band D 55–68 Average
Above the current minimum of band E for covered privately rented homes. The standard does not apply to every property.
Band E 39–54 Below average Minimum
Current minimum for covered privately rented homes, unless a valid exemption is registered.
Band F 21–38 Inefficient
Below the current minimum. A covered privately rented home at this rating cannot be let, or continue to be let, unless a valid exemption has been registered.
Band G 1–20 Least efficient
Below the current minimum. A covered privately rented home at this rating cannot be let, or continue to be let, unless a valid exemption has been registered.
Every band states its letter, its score range and its meaning in words, so the certificate can be read without relying on the colours. A is the most efficient and G the least.
What to check on a certificate
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Property address
It should match the property exactly, including any flat or unit number.
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Certificate reference
The reference number identifies the certificate on the official register.
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Issue and expiry date
An EPC is valid for ten years, or until a newer certificate replaces it.
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Current and potential rating
Two separate figures. The current rating is the property as assessed; the potential is what the listed improvements could achieve.
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Floor area
Recorded in square metres, and worth comparing with what the listing says.
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Recommendations
Suggested improvements with indicative costs and savings alongside them.
What an EPC does not tell you
A certificate answers one question about a property. These are the questions it does not answer.
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Not covered
It is not a building survey
An assessment records energy-related features. It does not report on structure, damp, the roof or the general condition of the property.
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Separate check
It does not certify that systems are safe
Gas and electrical safety are covered by separate checks, carried out by different people, producing different documents.
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Standard occupancy
It does not predict a household's bills
The rating is calculated on standard occupancy so results stay comparable between similar buildings. Real bills depend on how a household actually lives in the property.
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Estimate only
Recommendations and savings are indicative
The improvements listed, and the money they might save, are estimates for guidance. They are not quotes and not a commitment that any figure will be achieved.
Landlord minimum standard
The current requirement is band E. It applies to covered privately rented properties in England and Wales, not to every property.
Five points to understand
Required The current standard
Covered privately rented properties must be EPC band E or above before they are let, and to continue being let.
Scope Which properties are covered
It applies to domestic private rented property in England and Wales that is let on one of the tenancy types named in the regulations and legally required to have an EPC. It does not apply to every property.
Conditional Exemptions must be registered
Where an exemption applies it has to be recorded on the national PRS Exemptions Register before it can be relied on. Registering it is neither optional nor automatic, and exemptions are time-limited.
Enforced Enforcement
Local authorities enforce the standard and have powers to check compliance.
Unchanged If the threshold changes
Any change to the minimum band would come through new regulations. Until that happens band E is the requirement, and the official guidance below is the place to confirm it.
The official guidance sets out each exemption and the evidence it needs. It is linked below, together with the service used to register one.
Next step
What would you like to do next?
Both energy certificate services are run by GOV.UK. If your question is about a property Dukes is marketing, the receptionist keeps the property with the enquiry.
Official guidance
Applies to England and Wales. Information reviewed 8 August 2026. This is a summary of official guidance, not legal or energy advice, and it is not exhaustive.
- Energy performance certificates when selling a home (opens in a new tab)
- A guide to energy performance certificates for the marketing, sale and let of dwellings (opens in a new tab)
- Domestic private rented property: minimum energy efficiency standard (opens in a new tab)
- Register a private rented sector energy standards exemption (opens in a new tab)
