The government has delayed the launch of its Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) reforms until the second half of 2027 but said it “continues to work at pace to deliver reformed domestic EPCs”.
“Following engagement with industry on the delivery timeline, we have decided to move the launch of the reforms to the second half of 2027,” the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government said in a statement.
“We will work with industry and the devolved administrations to agree a new launch date and shared implementation plan by the summer of this year.”
The consultation on changes to EPCs, display energy certificates and air conditioning inspection reports closed on 26th February.
It included proposed reforms to enhance the regime in what the government described as five critical areas: updating what EPCs measure through additional metrics; updating when energy certificates are required by refining the rules for obtaining EPCs and DECs; managing energy certificate quality; improving the accessibility of building performance data; and strengthening the quality of air conditioning inspection reports.
Reforming the system will provide homeowners and tenants with accurate information about the energy performance of their homes to allow them to make informed investment and purchase decisions, provide accurate information to determine eligibility for schemes and measure progress against government targets, and reflect the needs of wider users of EPCs beyond homeowners and tenants, such as lenders, the government said.
