Check the EPC before you buy. It's free, takes a minute, and tells you more than the rating.

What an EPC is

An Energy Performance Certificate rates a home from A (best) to G (worst) and estimates what it costs to heat and light. It lists the walls, roof, windows and heating, and the work that would improve the rating.

A home for sale must have one before it is marketed, and the seller or estate agent must show it to you. A certificate is valid for 10 years. (GOV.UK)

Find it in under a minute

1. Go to the government's Find an energy certificate service.
2. Search by postcode, or by street name and town.
3. Pick the address. If there are several certificates, open the newest.

It covers England, Wales and Northern Ireland; Scotland has its own register. Or enter the address on HeyKettle: we read the same register (30.4 million certificates since 2008) and show the cheapest route to band C.

No certificate, or only one older than 10 years? Ask the agent. The seller has to have a valid one before the home is marketed.

Six things to read on it

1. Current and potential rating. The gap shows how far the assessor thinks the home can go with the listed improvements. E now with potential B has room to improve; E with potential D has less.
2. Estimated running costs. Use them to compare homes, not to predict your bills: they assume standard heating and occupancy, not how you live.
3. The features table. Walls, roof, windows, main heating and hot water, each rated from very poor to very good. Look for solid walls with no insulation, single glazing, or electric storage heaters.
4. The word 'assumed'. It means the assessor couldn't see it, for example 'no insulation (assumed)'. Treat it as unknown and ask the seller.
5. The recommendations. Each one has a typical cost and the rating it would bring. Add up the ones you would do when you weigh up your offer.
6. The date and the floor area. An old certificate may miss an extension, a new boiler or new windows. Compare the floor area with the listing: if they differ a lot, ask why.

If you might let the home one day

Privately rented homes in England and Wales will need band C by 1 October 2030, with a cap of £10,000 on what a landlord must spend per home to get there. A home with a C on a certificate lodged before 1 October 2029 counts as compliant until that certificate expires. (Government response, 2026)

So a D, E or F home bought to let later comes with work attached. Check the cheapest route to C here before you offer.

The certificate is changing

The government is replacing the single A to G score with several measures, including energy cost, the fabric of the building, the heating system and smart readiness. It says it is working to deliver the new certificates from October 2026 and calls the timeline ambitious. Existing certificates stay valid for their 10 years. (GOV.UK)

Three questions for the seller

• What have you changed since the certificate was done: insulation, boiler, windows, solar?
• What did you actually spend on gas and electricity in the last 12 months?
• Anything marked 'assumed' on the certificate: do you know what is really there?