The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, supported by the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero, opened a consultation on reforms to the Energy Performance of Buildings regime at 9:30am on 4 December 20241. It covers changes to Energy Performance Certificates (EPCs), Display Energy Certificates (DECs) and air conditioning inspection reports (ACIRs), and applies to England and Wales1. The consultation ran for 12 weeks, to 11:59pm on 26 February 2025, and received over 1,600 responses from landlords, homeowners, energy assessors, retrofit installers, financial institutions, consumer rights groups, and the heritage building and short-term let sectors1.
The consultation set out proposed reforms in five areas: updating what EPCs measure through additional metrics; updating when energy certificates are required; managing energy certificate quality; improving the accessibility of building performance data; and strengthening the quality of air conditioning inspection reports1. A partial government response covering questions 1 to 21, on what EPCs measure and when they are required, was added on 21 January 20261. It confirms four new headline metrics on new-style domestic EPCs and the retention of the existing headline metric on non-domestic EPCs1.
For domestic EPCs, the existing single cost metric is to be replaced with four headline metrics: energy cost, fabric performance, heating system and smart readiness2. A secondary energy demand metric based on delivered energy will be included, and a secondary carbon-based metric retained on domestic EPCs2. The legacy Energy Efficiency Rating metric will be retained to allow comparison with current EPCs and to support compliance with existing regulatory measures until it is no longer required2. On non-domestic EPCs, the single carbon-based Environmental Impact Rating remains the headline metric2. The government intends to maintain the current ten-year validity period for reformed EPCs, with existing EPCs retaining their ten-year validity2.
On when certificates are required, the government intends to update regulations so an EPC is required at the point of marketing a property rather than the point of sale or rent2. It also intends to require a valid EPC for a whole HMO when a single room is let, which current guidance states is not required, and to require short-term lets to have a valid EPC in place when let, irrespective of who is responsible for meeting energy costs2. The exemption for landlords from obtaining an EPC for heritage buildings would be removed, requiring a valid EPC when such buildings are marketed, let or sold2.
"Following engagement with industry on the delivery timeline, we have decided to move the launch of the reforms to the second half of 2027."
Energy Systems Catapult, responding to the consultation in December 2024, said the proposals would have far-reaching implications for decarbonising UK homes, and noted that the consultation did not set out how the proposed metrics would be used in policy and regulation3. It also recorded that EPCs recommend new gas boilers for 25% of homes, and pointed to problems with the accuracy and consistency of EPCs3. CIBSE described the consultation as long-anticipated and encouraged members to contribute, with comments for its own response due by 16 February 20254.
Why it matters for households
An EPC is the document that records how a home performs and is used to determine eligibility for schemes and to measure progress against government targets1. The proposed shift from a single cost-based headline rating to four separate metrics changes what a certificate tells a household: energy cost, fabric performance, heating system and smart readiness would be reported separately rather than combined2. The government states the separate metrics are intended to provide clearer information to consumers while enabling more targeted action on fuel poverty and net zero2. The consultation responses recorded concerns that a cost metric can go out of date as prices change and can penalise electric heating relative to fossil fuels, that owners of older properties might perform poorly on a fabric metric, and that a smart readiness metric may be less viable in rural areas with limited internet access2. The same response records that most disagreement came from landlords concerned about the cost of works to meet existing and proposed strengthened minimum energy efficiency standards in the private rented sector2.
The timing changes matter for anyone marketing, letting or selling a property, including short-term lets and rooms within shared houses, because the point at which a certificate is needed would move earlier in the process2. The regulations and reform process is separate from the minimum energy efficiency standards that apply to rented homes, though the government states the EPC reforms are intended to support compliance with those standards2. The reforms apply to England and Wales; Scotland and Wales have separate arrangements in part, and the government says it will work with the devolved administrations on a shared implementation plan1.
What happens next
A further response covering the remaining parts of the consultation, including DEC validity periods, EPC and DEC data, managing EPC quality, air conditioning inspection reports and additional questions, is to be published in 20262. The government intends to bring forward regulations in 2026 to make the changes ahead of implementing new-style domestic EPCs, subject to parliamentary approvals2. The launch of the reforms has been moved to the second half of 2027, with a new launch date and shared implementation plan to be agreed with industry and the devolved administrations by the summer of 20261. A post-implementation review of the Energy Performance of Buildings Regulations 2012, covering January 2018 to January 2023, was published on 2 April 2026; it states that the December 2024 consultation was published in part to address its findings5.
Sources5 cited
- Reforms to the Energy Performance of Buildings regime - GOV.UK, gov.uk
- Reforms to the Energy Performance of Buildings regime – partial government response - GOV.UK, gov.uk
- EPC reform - Energy Systems Catapult, es.catapult.org.uk
- Have your say: Consultation on reforms to the Energy Performance of Buildings regime, cibse.org
- Energy Performance of Buildings Regulations 2012: Post-implementation review 2018 to 2023 - GOV.UK, gov.uk