EPCs will make polluting cheaper

Businesses and individuals selling commercial buildings or new homes are now legally required to provide an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC).

All commercial properties with a floor area over 10,000 square metres, and all newly built houses will now come with a certificate detailing their energy rating and recommending improvements.

EPCs were first introduced last year as part of the Home Information Pack scheme for large houses being put on the housing market. By October this year, all buildings being sold or rented will have to provide an EPC.

The aim of the government led scheme is to improve energy efficiency in the UK’s buildings.

However, some property experts are warning that the scheme could have the opposite effect.

Manchester-based property evaluation company Stevens Scalan is concerned that if a property has a low environmental rating it will become less desirable, pushing the price down.

This means that in the long term, environmentally friendly buildings will become cheaper, and therefore more popular with buyers.

It could also mean higher rental prices for tenants looking for environmentally friendly properties.

Despite these fears, eco-building experts are backing the scheme. Paul King, the chief executive of the UK Green Building Council, has said that EPCs are a “crucial weapon” in the battle to reduce carbon emissions.