TL;DR
- → What it is: a legal A-G energy rating for buildings.
- → How long it lasts: 10 years from issue.
- → When you need one: before letting, marketing, or selling commercial property.
An Energy Performance Certificate is a legal document. It is issued under SI 2012/3118 (the Energy Performance of Buildings Regulations 2012, England and Wales).
Each certificate gives the property a band from A (most efficient) to G (least efficient), based on modelled energy use per square metre. The result sits on the public MHCLG EPC register for 10 years.
Band thresholds (commercial property)
- Band A: score 0-25 - highly efficient.
- Band B: 26-50.
- Band C: 51-75 - proposed MEES minimum from April 2028 (not yet enacted).
- Band D: 76-100.
- Band E: 101-125 - current MEES minimum since 2018.
- Band F: 126-150 - non-compliant, cannot be let.
- Band G: 151+ - non-compliant, cannot be let.
Key facts
- Validity: 10 years from date of issue.
- Commercial methodology: SBEM (Simplified Building Energy Model).
- Register: MHCLG EPC Register (
epc.opendatacommunities.org). - When required: before marketing, letting, or selling most commercial properties.
- Assessor: accredited non-domestic energy assessor.
How CrowAgent uses this term
CrowAgent Core queries the MHCLG EPC Register via the Open Data Communities API. Enter a postcode and the system returns the current band, expiry date, and penalty exposure under SI 2015/962 regulation 39, with retrofit scenarios modelled against HM Treasury Green Book NPV assumptions.
Read more
EPC Register explained → - how the register works, data limitations, and how to query it for your portfolio.