Energy & Compliance
Energy efficiency, grants, and regulatory compliance
Electrical Installation Condition Report (EICR)
The five-yearly safety check on a home's wiring
An Electrical Installation Condition Report records the condition of a home's fixed wiring, sockets, consumer unit and earthing. A qualified electrician inspects and tests the installation against British Standard 7671, the Wiring Regulations. Every UK nation now requires one at least every five years for a privately rented home. No nation requires one for an owner-occupied home.
Energy Performance Certificate (EPC)
Efficiency band from A to G
An Energy Performance Certificate rates a home's energy efficiency from A, the most efficient, to G, the least. An accredited assessor produces it, estimating running costs and listing the improvements worth making. One is required whenever a home is sold or let, and it lasts 10 years. Every UK nation requires a certificate, but each sets its own rules.
Green Mortgage
Lender discounts for energy-efficient homes
A green mortgage is a lender's product that rewards an energy-efficient home. The reward is usually a lower rate, cashback at completion, or a larger loan. Banks and building societies set their own thresholds, most at EPC band A or B. No government body defines the term or polices it. The products are sold across the whole UK.
Minimum Energy Efficiency Standard (MEES)
The EPC band needed to let a home
The Minimum Energy Efficiency Standard sets the lowest EPC band at which a home may be let privately. In England and Wales the floor is band E, and local authorities enforce it. A landlord below the floor must improve the home or register an exemption. Neither Scotland nor Northern Ireland has an equivalent standard in force.