Citizens Advice response to government consultation on reforms to the Energy Performance of Buildings regime
Citizens Advice welcomes the opportunity to respond to this consultation on reforms to the Energy Performance of Buildings regime. Improving the energy performance of our homes is vital to cut bills, improve comfort and reduce carbon emissions. And Energy Performance Certificates (EPCs) are both a key tool for consumers who want to make changes to their homes, and the foundation for broader policies to address fuel poverty and meet our net zero goals. It is essential that EPCs are meaningful, accurate and useful for the households and policymakers that rely on them.
We support an increased level of information for consumers to give them a more holistic view of the energy performance of their homes. But moving to a system of multiple metrics risks making EPCs too complex for consumers to engage with easily. Consumer testing will be essential to make sure new metrics don’t cause confusion, particularly where there is the potential for contradiction between metrics. Energy cost and fabric performance must be prioritised, particularly for schemes and standards that are designed to combat fuel poverty. And further metrics must be carefully designed to avoid incentivising changes that could increase consumers’ bills - particularly in the private rented sector.
We support a move to a 5-year validity period to improve accuracy while minimising burdens on households. We also strongly support proposals for improved requirements in the private rented sector, including requiring valid EPCs throughout tCenancies and expanding EPC requirements to houses in multiple occupation (HMOs).
Quality control and monitoring must also be a key focus of a future EPC regime. Changes to the format of EPCs will only deliver the intended results if consumers trust their EPCs to be an accurate reflection of their properties.