Home information packs have been a necessary component of legal paperwork required upon sale of a property since the Housing Act of 2004. The programme initially got off to a shaky start with delays to its introduction, but finally became part of official documentation in 2007. The pack is now mandatory for all properties that are for sale. We take a look at how the Energy Performance Certificate has made its way into such important legal documentation.

The introduction of a home information pack has taken a long and winding path. The idea was originally announced in 2003 as part of the Queen’s Speech, but this came from the need to address what is known as gazumping in the property market. It was acknowledged that transparency was needed to ensure that sales of properties went through more quickly and with less friction between buyers and sellers. It was thought that introducing a pack that gave concise and clear information about the property would achieve this.

The home information pack contains the sale statement, a property information questionnaire, energy performance certificate, title deeds and relevant local authority information. The Energy Performance Certificate is essentially an energy efficiency audit that is carried out to rate the energy efficiency of a property and was introduced as part of a directive to reduce carbon emissions in Europe.

To obtain an Energy Performance Certificate, a house needs to be assessed by a qualified domestic energy assessor. The assessment includes identifying the presence of key energy saving components such as loft insulation, double glazing, efficient central heating and any appliances that are powered by energy from sustainable sources. This can be from photovoltaic solar panels, geothermal energy and wind turbines.

The information is entered into a software system that generates a score that reflects the energy efficiency of the property, with A being the most efficient and G being the least. For homes that do not achieve an A rating, information is included in the home information pack for ways to make the property more energy efficient. The scale is representative of energy consumption and therefore an A grade property should have the lowest fuel bills. The same scale is also used to determine the impact a particular property has on the environment by evaluating the corresponding carbon dioxide emissions.

It is hoped that this information will encourage home owners to adopt more energy efficient ways of powering a home and to be more aware of the impact certain energy consumption has on the environment. Ultimately this will be used as part of a strategy to reduce carbon dioxide emissions to comply with European Union regulations.

Dom Donaldson is an energy expert.
Find out more about an Energy Performance Certificate for commercial and domestic buildings at National Energy rating.