Hi, my name is Mike Breen. I am a fully qualified and accredited Domestic Energy Assessor (DEA) specialising in producing Energy Performance Certificates (EPC’s). I do not offer Commercial EPC’s.
I am based in North Birmingham and work primarily in the West Midlands and surrounding areas.
A Domestic EPC is a Certificate that provides homeowners, tenants and prospective buyers with an assessment of how energy efficient a property is and give it a rating from A (very efficient) to G (inefficient). An EPC will give an indication as to how costly it will be to heat and light your property, and what its carbon dioxide emissions are likely to be.
Domestic EPCs are a legal requirement to have in place when you sell or let a domestic property anywhere in the UK. If your building was constructed before April 2008 it just needs a standard Domestic EPC. If it was built after this date or is a conversion to a dwelling from a different type of building, such as a barn conversion, and the conversion date was after April 2008, then you may need a different type of survey called a SAP EPC.
The only domestic properties that are exempt from requiring an EPC for the purposes of sale and letting are listed buildings. This has become more complicated since the introduction of the Minimum Energy Efficiency Standards (MEES) legislation in 2018. Now any listed properties that are for rental need to either have an EPC with at least an E rating or better, or apply to be put on the MEES exemption register. To go on this register it is required that evidence is provided as to why the improvement recommendations on the EPC are not suitable for the building, and the only way to do this is by getting an EPC. As such the only domestic dwellings currently exempt from needing an EPC are listed buildings for sale. Even for these buildings, an increasing number of mortgage companies and financial institutions are refusing to carry out sale transactions unless either there is an E rated or better EPC in place, or the building is on the MEES exemption register.
A typical survey takes around 30 minutes to carry out, depending on the size and layout of the property. After I have surveyed your property, I will then use specialist software to calculate the energy rating for the property. An EPC will then be produced which will tell you all about the Energy Efficiency and the Environmental Impact of your property. The Certificate will provide you with:
Booking an EPC with me is fast from instruction to completion and registration. I will arrange to visit your property at a time that is convenient to you.
I will need to draw a basic floorplan to determine the floor area of the dwelling and also take measurements of the different wall types in the property. I will also take a series of photographs and notes to enable me to process the report later.
The survey looks at the following elements:
It is important to note that the survey is non-invasive. I will not be lifting any floorboards or drilling holes in walls. As such I will only be able to record any insulation etc. that is visible to me on the day. If your property has cavity wall insulation, I should be able to identify this from the marks left behind on the brickwork after installation. For any other type of insulation that is not visible, such as under floor insulation or loft insulation where there is no loft hatch, or if the loft is boarded out with the insulation below, then I will be able to accept evidence from you in the form of an invoice from the installer. If the insulation is not visible and no documentary evidence is available, then the EPC software will make an assumption about what may be present based on the construction date of the property.
On the day of the survey, I will need access to every room in the dwelling. I will also need to see the heating system, and look in the loft if it is accessible. It is helpful if you can have ready any documents you may have relating to any of the items included in the survey, as listed above.
Once the survey is complete, I will produce and register the EPC with the Government’s Central Register of Certificates. I will then email you a link so you can view your EPC. Registration of your EPC will normally take no more than 24 hours from the date of survey.
I will provide your EPC at a fair, fixed price with no additional costs on the day.
I offer Landlords a tailored service enabling you to sit back and relax while I deal with your EPC assessments and lodgement of your Certificates. If you have more than one property or require volume EPC’s call me to discuss how I can help coordinate your EPC requirements.
Since April 2018 all commercial and domestic buildings have been required to have at least an E rating on their EPC before they may be leased to tenants. Because of this legislation many banks and financial institutions are now also insisting that properties for sale must achieve this rating before they will carry out financial transactions such as mortgages or ownership changes.
If your building gets an F or G on its EPC then I will offer you advice on the best ways to improve the rating. To do this I re-run the calculations multiple times, testing out a combination of different energy saving measures each time to establish the most cost effective and least disruptive ways of improving your buildings rating to an E or better.
To get a quote for a domestic EPC for your property, simply give me a call me 07738 384031, or alternatively fill in my contact form. To be able to provide you with a quote for a survey, I require the below information:
Once you are provided with a quote, if you wish to go ahead and book I will discuss payment details with you. A date and time will be agreed and I will require contact details for whoever will be meeting me on site. If you are a Landlord and the property is tenanted I will arrange access with the tenant if it is more convenient.
My pricing includes the lodgement of the EPC on the government register, so the price I quote you is the total price you will pay.
