The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG), supported by the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ), published a partial government response on 9 March 2026 to its consultation on reforming the Energy Performance of Buildings regime in England and Wales1. The consultation ran for 12 weeks, from 4 December 2024 to 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 posed 48 questions; this partial response covers questions 1 to 21, on what EPCs measure and when EPCs are required1.
On what EPCs measure, the government confirmed that for domestic EPCs it will replace the existing single cost metric with four new headline metrics: energy cost, fabric performance, heating system and smart readiness1. A secondary energy demand metric based on delivered energy will be included, and a secondary carbon-based metric will be retained on domestic EPCs1. The legacy Energy Efficiency Rating (EER) metric will be retained to allow comparison with current EPCs and to support compliance with existing regulatory measures until it is no longer required1. For non-domestic EPCs, the single carbon-based Environmental Impact Rating (EIR) will be maintained as the headline metric1. The government intends to maintain the current ten-year validity period for reformed EPCs, and existing EPCs will retain their ten-year validity1.
On when EPCs are required, the government intends to update regulations so that an EPC is required at the point of marketing a property rather than the point of sale or rent1. 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 costs1. The exemption for landlords from obtaining an EPC for heritage buildings would be removed, requiring them to have a valid EPC when marketed, let, or sold1.
"Government is working hard to deliver new EPCs from October 2026."
The response records that there was broad agreement with increasing the number of metrics for domestic buildings, with conditional support where the certificate remains clear and does not confuse consumers1. Most disagreement was not focused on the new metrics themselves but came from landlords concerned by the cost of works to meet existing and proposed strengthened minimum energy efficiency standards in the private rented sector1. Particular concerns were raised by the heritage sector, owners of older buildings, and the short-term let sector, where installing certain fabric or heating measures might be impractical, costly or not permissible1.
Why it matters for households
An EPC is the document that records how a home performs and is used to determine eligibility for energy efficiency schemes and compliance with minimum energy efficiency standards1. The shift from a single headline rating to four separate metrics means a home's energy performance certificate will describe fabric, heating system, smart readiness and running cost separately, rather than collapsing them into one number. For a household, that changes what a certificate says about the building itself, as distinct from the fuel it uses or the price of that fuel. The retention of the legacy EER metric means current ratings remain comparable for the time being1.
The changes to when an EPC is required affect the point at which a property is marketed rather than sold or let, and extend requirements to whole HMOs when a single room is let, to short-term lets, and to heritage buildings let by landlords1. For owners of older or listed buildings, the response acknowledges concerns that some measures may be impractical, costly or not permissible1. The reforms sit within the wider EPC regulations and reform programme led by DESNZ and MHCLG1.
What happens next
The government intends to bring forward regulations in 2026 to make these changes ahead of implementing new-style domestic EPCs, subject to parliamentary approvals1. A further response covering the remaining parts of the consultation, on Display Energy Certificate validity periods, EPC and DEC data, managing EPC quality, air conditioning inspection reports, and additional questions, will be published in 20261. The government states it is working to deliver new EPCs from October 20261.