May 7, 2024
What has happened?
The Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government have now taken control of the EPC Register. Previously, this was contracted to a company named Landmark. This change has meant that the register has been migrated to a ‘gov.uk’ government website.
How does this affect the EPCs?
This change has meant that EPCs are no longer accessible via the traditional PDF format. The new website is a live register, meaning that clients must access EPCs via this live database.
Why have the changes been made?
There are a number of reasons as to why this change has taken place. Firstly, the new format allows the government to record data concerning energy efficiency more easily – which will form an important part of its carbon reduction targets.
In addition to this, EPCs are an EU directive. Now that the UK has left the European Union, the Government is able to change the format of EPCs as they see fit. However, it is important to note that the Government have also committed to keeping EPCs due to their importance in tackling climate change.
Finally, the new format is more secure, making it harder for EPCs to be edited and forged.
How does this affect me?
The new formatting may result in forced changes to the way documents are filed within your company. Building control authorities, solicitors, estate agents etc… should all be updating their systems in order to accommodate for this change and minimise any disruption. However, we expect that it will take a little bit of time for the various players within the industry to get up to speed with this.
Can I have a PDF copy of my EPC still?
There is an option to print the certificate, whereby it can then be converted to a PDF on your desktop. However, the EPCs were not designed for this purpose & the formatting is rather poor. It has also been instructed that EPCs should still be issued as a live webpage link to the relevant organisations.
Is my ‘old style’ EPC still valid?
Yes. Any EPC that was lodged prior to this change and is still within its 10-year date is still valid. These EPCs have automatically been transferred over to the new register.
*All EPCs are now to be accessed via the following website https://find-energy-certificate.digital.communities.gov.uk/*