EXPERT ADVICE
How to improve your EPC rating & save on energy bills
Updated 02/26
By: Imogen Beech
Reviewed: Emma Potter
Find out all you need to know about Energy Performance Certificates (EPCs). We also share how one savvy homeowner used their EPC recommendations to save nearly £800 per year on their energy bills!
Improving your home's EPC rating:
Saves money on your energy bills
Increases your property's attractiveness to buyers or renters
Makes your home more comfortable
Reduces carbon emissions
But what is an EPC? How do you interpret your EPC report? And what are the costs involved?
Here, with the help of Chris Grant, of EPC Choice Ltd, we explain all.
Chris Grant EPC Choice
Chris Grant is the Founder and Operations Director at EPC Choice. As one of the first qualified Energy Assessors in the UK he has built EPC Choice into a leading provider of both domestic and commercial Energy Performance Certificates.
Chris Grant Founder
What is an EPC?
How to read your EPC report
Most common EPC recommendations
What are the costs involved?
How to find trusted tradespeople near you
What is an EPC rating?
In a nutshell, an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC):
Scores the energy efficiency of a property, from A (most efficient) to G (least efficient)
Suggests home improvements that could be made
Estimates how much money could be saved on your energy bills by carrying out each recommendation
An EPC is a legal requirement when selling or renting a property in the UK.
What does an EPC survey involve?
An EPC Assessor will come to your property to conduct an EPC survey.
They'll measure your property and record information on key areas to work out your property's energy efficiency. This includes:
Walls
Floors
Roof
Windows and doors
Heating system
Lighting efficiency
Depending on how big your property is, this normally takes between 30 and 60 minutes.
How to read your EPC certificate
It's easy to get bogged down in the details of an EPC certificate.
Here's the key sections of an EPC report you need to know about:
1. Energy rating
At the top of your EPC, you'll see a letter between A and G. This is your overall energy rating. Remember, A is the best, and G is the worst.
To rent your property out, it'll need to be at least a band E
However, some buy-to-let mortgage providers now require landlords to have at least a B and C
2. Energy efficiency rating graph
Next, you'll find your energy efficiency rating graph:
Under the 'current' column, you'll see where your property sits on the overall energy efficiency scale
Under the 'potential' column, you'll see where your property could sit with some improvement work
Alongside the rating is a score. This shows you how close you are to being in a higher band (and more energy efficient)
In England and Wales, the average energy rating is D.
3. Breakdown of key areas
This section provides:
An evaluation of the energy efficiency of the individual elements of your property, such as your walls, floors and roof
A rating ranging from 'very good' (most efficient) to 'very poor' (least efficient)
This is a handy way to tell which parts of your home are letting your property's energy performance down.
The breakdown also highlights your primary energy use – an estimate of how much energy the property is likely to use each year. This figure is based on standard assumptions about how the home is used, so your actual usage may vary depending on lifestyle and occupancy.
4. Environmental impact of the property
One for the environmentally conscious, this section includes a separate environmental impact rating based on carbon emissions, including:
Your household emissions – How many tonnes of CO2 your property likely produces per year
Potential production – The amount this figure could be reduced to if you follow the EPC's recommended changes
Did you know that the average household produces six tonnes of CO2 each year?
5. Recommended improvements
Next, your EPC will list step-by-step recommendations to improve your property's energy performance based on the details your Assessor has collected. This includes:
The estimated cost of each home improvement suggested
An estimate of the potential savings (on your energy bills) of implementing each recommendation
Be aware that costs don't always reflect current market rates. It's therefore a good idea to get a selection of quotes from local and trusted tradespeople before you get started.
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6. Estimated energy usage and potential savings
The final section of your EPC estimates:
Annual energy costs for heating, lighting and hot water (based on an average household)
Potential savings if recommended improvements are made
Estimated heating demand (kWh per year)
You can multiply the heating demand by your current gas or electricity tariff to estimate your likely annual costs. Just keep in mind these figures are based on standard assumptions about occupancy and usage, so actual bills may vary.
Prioritising EPC improvements
Your EPC lists recommendations in order of the greatest impact, so following them in the order they're listed is often the best approach.
For example, improving your property's insulation is often prioritised over upgrading your boiler because heating efficiency depends on effective insulation.
To estimate the impact of a recommendation, subtract the ‘before’ rating from the ‘after’ rating to see the potential uplift. Just keep in mind this is a guide only. Improvements don’t always deliver the full uplift on their own, especially if other recommended measures haven’t been carried out.
How to improve your EPC rating
Chris from EPC Choice Ltd explains the most common improvements listed on an EPC, alongside their typical costs and potential savings:
Low-cost improvements:
1. Upgrade to LED bulbs
Replacing your lightbulbs with LEDs is an underrated home hack to cut bills. They use 90% less energy than traditional bulbs and last much longer.
Cost: LED bulbs cost less than £5 each
Annual savings: Switching a 100w incandescent bulb to an LED equivalent could save you around £15 per bulb per year (based on a 1,100-lumen bulb running for 562 hours per year)
Impact: Replacing all the bulbs in your home with LEDs could save more than 60kg of carbon
Mid-range upgrades:
1. Improve your loft insulation
The recommendation to install new loft insulation or to add to what's there will usually crop up if there's less than 100 mm of loft insulation in place.
Cost: Quilt loft insulation costs in the region £654 - £1,206 to top up from 120mm to 270mm (depending on the size of your property)
Annual savings: According to the Energy Saving Trust, by topping up your loft insulation, you could save between £19 and £35 per year on your energy bills (depending on the size of your home)
2. Install cavity wall insulation
Before the 1980s, cavity walls often weren't insulated. However, by adding cavity wall insulation to uninsulated walls, you could significantly improve your EPC rating.
Cost: The average cavity wall insulation cost is between £950- £4,600 (depending on the size of your property)
Annual saving: Cavity wall insulation could save you between £160- £470 (depending on the size of your property)
Did you know you can often get help with the cost of cavity wall insulation from government schemes like the Great British Insulation Scheme?
Major improvements
1. Install solar panels
According to Chris from EPC Choice Ltd, installing Solar Photovoltaics (PV) panels can improve your EPC rating by anything between eight and 15 points – a huge uptick!
This is, however, the first of the more costly home upgrades we'll outline in this guide.
Cost: Solar panel installation cost is typically around £8,000 for a 4kW PV system (suitable for a 2-3 bed home)
Annual savings: You could save around £735 per year on your energy bills (based on a 4kW system)
2. Solid wall insulation
Solid walls let twice as much heat escape as cavity walls. A useful way to make an old home energy efficient is to add solid wall insulation, either internally or externally.
Cost: On average, external wall insulation costs between £8,000 - £25,000 (depending on the size of the property)
Saving: According to the Energy Saving Trust, you could save between £150 and £550 per year on your energy bills (depending on the size of your home)
Solid wall insulation can change your property’s appearance, and the software used by EPC assessors doesn’t account for listed status or conservation areas. Always check with your local authority to make sure the work is permitted before going ahead.
Other high-impact measures
Other high-impact measures that can improve your EPC rating include:
Double glazing - To enhance insulation
New doors - To help retain heat
Upgrading your boiler - For better heating performance
Air source heat pumps - For increased heating efficiency
Wind turbines - To utilise renewables
Find out about the financial help available for green home upgrades in 2026 in our comprehensive guide:
Green home grants available in 2026
Looking to make your home more eco-friendly and energy-efficient? Discover the latest green home grants that could help you save money while reducing your carbon footprint.
For an exact figure of how much a standalone recommendation will improve your EPC rating, ask your Assessor to use a Recommendation Selector tool. This will give the precise uplift you can expect, helping you to make informed decisions.
Hear from homeowners like you:
With the help of Chris from EPC Choice Ltd, this homeowner reduced their energy bills by a whopping 60% after implementing the recommendations in their EPC report:
The property: A three-bed terraced house with solid walls and no double glazing or loft insulation
Old EPC rating: Following the initial EPC survey, the property had an energy rating of D with a score of 61
Recommendations implemented: Added loft insulation, double glazing, LED bulbs, solid wall insulation, and solar panels
New EPC rating: After carrying out all these works, the homeowner undertook another EPC survey and was delighted to find that the property was now rated a B, with a score of 81
Energy savings: The homeowner reduced their annual energy costs from around £1,256 to £469 per year after making these green home improvements – a massive £787 saving!
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FAQs about EPC
To get an EPC, you'll need to find an accredited assessor to undertake a survey of your property and issue your certificate.
EPC costs depend on the size of the property. Our EPC cost guide has more information.
You can find an existing energy performance certificate through the Gov.uk website.
You don't have to follow the list step-by-step. If the first recommendations are too expensive, starting with smaller upgrades, like installing LED light bulbs, will still see improvements to your EPC rating.
An EPC rating of D is average for UK homes. It’s not poor, but it’s below the government’s proposed minimum C rating for landlords. Improving from D to C can reduce energy bills and improve property appeal.
To get your EPC rating from an E to a C, typical improvements include:
Loft insulation
Cavity wall insulation
Upgrading to an efficient boiler
Installing smart heating controls
Adding renewable energy like solar panels
Your EPC report will prioritise the most cost-effective steps.
Most EPC assessments take 30–60 minutes, and you’ll usually receive your certificate within 24–48 hours. During busy periods, it may take slightly longer.
Yes. All EPC assessors must be accredited and listed on the official government EPC register. You can search by postcode to find a qualified assessor in your area.
EPC certificates must be carried out by an accredited domestic energy assessor (DEA). While electricians may advise on energy improvements, they cannot issue an EPC unless properly accredited.
An EPC measures a property’s overall energy efficiency and is valid for 10 years. A gas safety certificate confirms that gas appliances are safe to use and must be renewed annually for rental properties.
Yes. Landlords in England and Wales must have a valid EPC before renting out a property. Currently, rental homes must meet at least an E rating, with proposals to raise this to C in future years.
Yes, double glazing can improve your EPC score by reducing heat loss and improving thermal efficiency.
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