Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, when his Department plans to publish an update of the reforms to the Electrical Performance Certificate (EPC) to take into account the performance of heat pumps and other renewable electrical sources.

Electrical Performance Certificates (EPCs) use an Energy Efficient Rating to measure energy performance based on the estimated running costs of the building. Since energy costs can be a significant outlay, it is important homeowners and occupiers are aware of the running costs of their property. Using the Energy Efficient Rating ensures that recommendations generated by the EPC lead to a reduction in energy cost. Given the higher cost of electricity relative to gas, the presence of a heat pump may result in a lower Energy Efficient Rating without additional measures to reduce energy demand, such as insulation.

The Government has recently reinstated the Environmental Impact Rating on the EPC, which measures energy performance based on carbon dioxide emissions, and recognises lower carbon measures such as heat pumps. Recent consultations on policies that use EPCs have sought views on alternative metric options to both reduce emissions and keep energy bills low. The responses to these consultations are being analysed and Government responses will be published in due course.