You are viewing 1 of your 1 free articles
Scotland to bring in retooled EPCs next year
Changes to Energy Performance Certificates (EPCs) will be introduced in 2026, the Scottish government has said.
The reforms comes as the Scottish government published a response to a 2023 consultation on EPCs.
EPCs rate homes from A to G based on their energy efficiency and inform regulatory targets and retrofit investment decisions by landlords.
It proposed a new rating system that includes: information on the fabric efficiency of a property; the emissions, efficiency and running costs of its heating system; and the cost of energy to run the home to standard conditions.
The EPC format will be redesigned to make it “easier to understand”, and the validity of EPCs will be reduced from 10 to five years to give consumers more up-to-date information.
READ MORE
Domestic EPCs will include a heat retention rating to show how well insulated a home is on an A-G scale. Alongside this will be a heating system type rating, showing the current and potential emissions category of the main heating system, thermal efficiency and running costs.
Finally, an energy cost rating will be based on the cost of energy to run the home to standardised conditions and will be in line with the current Energy Efficiency Rating or Standard Assessment Procedure (SAP) Rating.
Other proposals included the development of a new “dynamic EPC user interface” to sit alongside the published EPC, and strengthened operational governance arrangements for EPC assessors and approved organisations.
Officials will also establish a new technical infrastructure to replace the current SAP with the UK Home Energy Model calculation methodology, together with a new EPC register that will share “significant parts” with the UK government.
The Scottish government said that the revisions would give consumers “a clearer picture of their home’s energy performance” and link better with the drive to cut emissions from homes.
Subject to parliamentary approval, the new regulations, new EPC rating system and redesigned certificates are expected to be brought into force during 2026.
A technical consultation will follow on the level of EPC lodgement fees to support new technical infrastructure.
EPCs in Scotland remain a source of information only, unlike in other parts of the UK where they are linked to minimum energy efficiency standards.
Alasdair Allan, Scotland’s acting minister for climate action, said: “EPCs are a vital source of information for home and building owners and potential purchasers.
“By improving the EPC we can give everyone a clearer picture of the actual energy efficiency of a home.
“These improvements reflect feedback from external groups including consumer organisations and the Climate Change Committee, as well as from industry, and are in line with changes to EPCs being implemented elsewhere in the UK and in Europe.”
The UK government has proposed its own changes to EPCs that will be introduced in the second half of 2026.
Scotland is also consulting on proposals for a Heat in Buildings Bill and Social Housing Net Zero Standard, which could be supported by EPCs.
