It has been a busy few weeks for anyone who cares about energy efficiency. The Ofgem price cap rose by 13% on 1 July, taking a typical annual bill to around £1,862 — the sharpest reminder yet that how a home performs is now a pounds-and-pence issue, not a paperwork one. At the same time, the government’s overhaul of the Energy Performance Certificate has moved from consultation to confirmed policy, with the final pieces of the timetable due to be settled this summer. Here is where everything stands as of July 2026, and what it means if you own, rent out or are about to sell a home.
The four-metric EPC: confirmed, but arriving in 2027
The biggest change on the way is the redesign of the EPC itself. Instead of today’s single A–G rating based largely on running costs, new domestic EPCs will carry four headline metrics: fabric performance (how well the building keeps heat in), heating system (how clean and efficient the heating is), smart readiness (how well the home can use smart controls and cheaper off-peak energy) and energy cost (an estimate of what the home costs to run). The aim is a certificate that tells you why a home performs the way it does, rather than boiling everything down to one number.
The new certificates were originally pencilled in for October 2026. In March the government confirmed that the launch has slipped to the second half of 2027, alongside the new Home Energy Model calculation engine that will replace RdSAP, with the exact date due to be agreed over the summer. Two practical points follow: existing EPCs remain valid for their full ten years, and — after some debate about shortening it — the ten-year validity period is staying.
RdSAP 10, one year on
While the bigger reform waits for 2027, the assessment you would get today has already changed. RdSAP 10, in force since June 2025, made EPC surveys more evidence-based: assessors now record more detail about windows, heating controls and insulation, and default assumptions are less generous — unverified loft insulation, for example, is treated more cautiously than under the old methodology. If you are booking an assessment, dig out paperwork and photos for anything hidden (insulation receipts, boiler installation certificates, window guarantees). Good evidence routinely makes the difference of a band.
Landlords: EPC C by 2030 is now settled policy
The long-trailed tightening of Minimum Energy Efficiency Standards has been confirmed. Privately rented homes in England and Wales will need the equivalent of an EPC C by 1 October 2030 — a single deadline covering both new and existing tenancies, rather than the staggered dates originally proposed. Compliance will be judged against the new-style EPC: landlords will need to meet a standard on the fabric performance metric first, and then on either the heating system or smart readiness metric.
There is a cost ceiling: landlords will be expected to spend up to £10,000 per property on improvements. If the property still does not reach the standard after that, a ten-year exemption can be registered. Four years sounds like plenty, but assessor and installer capacity will tighten as the deadline approaches — the landlords who spread the work out cheaply are the ones starting now, with the obvious wins: loft top-ups, draught-proofing, heating controls and, where the fabric suits it, low-cost insulation measures.
Selling or letting? Expect the 28-day grace period to go
Under the reformed regime, a property will need a valid EPC before it is marketed for sale or rent, closing the current 28-day window that lets listings go live while a certificate is on order. It is a small change with a practical consequence: the EPC moves to the top of the pre-listing checklist, alongside photography and floor plans.
What to do now
Check your certificate. Look up your EPC on the national register: note the expiry date and the rating. A certificate issued before June 2025 may score differently when reassessed under RdSAP 10.
If you let property, get a current assessment and a costed route to C well before the 2030 rush — and keep receipts for every improvement, both for the assessor and for the £10,000 cost cap.
If you are selling, commission the EPC before you market. With bills rising again, buyers are reading the certificate more closely than they used to — a good one is a selling point.
A local, accredited domestic energy assessor can sort all of this in a single visit. Find your nearest EPC Near Me assessor here — enter your postcode and you’ll get direct contact details, no call centre in between.
Sources: the government’s partial response to the EPB reform consultation, the government response on energy performance of privately rented homes, and Propertymark’s summary of the revised 2027 timeline.
