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Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) has released new research to help ‘identify inaccuracies in EPCs and propose improvements.
IHBC Chair David McDonald said: ‘THe IHBC is pleased to see the EPC system being reformed using real data. EPCs overestimate energy usage in traditionally constructed properties, affecting both perceptions and how decisions are made about the need for retrofit.’
‘A proper replacement for the EPC should reflect the different ways in which traditional buildings work to reduce fluctuations in temperature.’
DESNZ writes:
This project compared modelled energy use with monitoring data to identify inaccuracies in EPCs and propose improvements.
Details
Energy Performance Certificates (EPCs) are the basis of many energy efficiency policies in the domestic built environment. This research was designed to support energy efficiency policy in the area of updates to the Standard Assessment Procedure (SAP) and informing the succeeding Home Energy Model (HEM) and the processes surrounding the generation and usage of Energy Performance Certificates.
The project aims were to:
- provide empirical evidence on the accuracy of EPCs and the Standard Assessment Procedure (SAP). Compare modelled energy use and internal temperatures with monitored data from large-scale datasets
- identify weaknesses in current EPC assumptions and processes, including defaults and assessor practices, and develop insights to improve modelling algorithms and enable dynamic updates to EPCs when building changes occur
- support the EPC Reform and ensure future models better reflect real-world energy performance
