The Scottish Government published their response to their Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) reform consultation at the end of January 2025. They have confirmed their intention to introduce new Regulations in 2025, and bring these into force in 2026.
EPCs are required when a property is sold or let, therefore they can be an important source of information for a prospective buyer or tenant. EPCs help to provide an understanding of the climate impact and running costs of a building.
In other parts of the UK, EPCs are linked to minimum energy efficiency standards, whereas in Scotland they have solely been a source of information. The Scottish Government’s plans aim to enhance the accuracy and accessibility of EPCs, which will likely result in their increased significance in future climate-focused government initiatives and regulations in Scotland.
While we await publication of the draft Regulations for the finer details, some of the key anticipated changes are summarised below:
- Adoption of a new EPC rating system for domestic buildings. This will include the following proposed ratings:
- “Heat Retention Rating” which will provide information on how well-insulated the home is, on an A-G scale.
- “Heating System Type Rating” showing the current and potential emissions category of the main heating system, thermal efficiency and running costs.
- “Energy Cost Rating” which 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 SAP Rating.
- Adoption of a new EPC rating system which will include the Energy Efficiency Rating based on modelled emissions from regulated energy use. Alongside this the EPC will show the building’s Direct Emissions based on modelled direct emissions from regulated energy use. The EPC will also show the building’s Energy Demand under standardised conditions.
- Adoption of a redesigned EPC certificate. The A to G graphics which are well recognised will remain. Additional rating and associated information will be added, but with a focus on diagrams and icons to aid understanding.
- Reduction of the EPC validity period from 10 to 5 years, although this will still rely on certain ‘triggers’, including sales or lettings.
- Development of a new dynamic EPC user interface to sit alongside published EPCs. This will allow consumers to give information about their preferences and behaviours, which will allow them to understand their impact on energy usage as it relates to a particular property.
- A change to operational governance for EPC assessors and Approved Organisations to improve quality assurance.
- Establishing a new technical infrastructure to replace the current Standard Assessment Procedure (SAP) with the new UK Home Energy Model (HEM) calculation methodology, together with a new EPC Register.
