Should I get a new EPC After Boiler & Radiator Upgrades?

Landlord Discussion New Laws & Regulation Changes
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Hi all,
I’m a landaldy, trying to get my head around the new EPC rules coming in.

My property currently has an EPC from 2020, rated in the lower part of band E. Since then, I’ve upgraded the boiler and installed more efficient radiators, but I haven’t had a new EPC done. From what I understand, I should move towards the band C by 2030. My questions for the group are:

  1. Do I need to get a new EPC now in order to understand what improvements I may need under the upcoming rules, especially since I’ve made upgrades since 2020?
  2. Who is the right person to contact - should I book a standard domestic energy assessor, or is there a specialist I should use for pre‑compliance advice?
  3. Has anyone experienced an EPC rating dropping after the new methodology? I’m slightly anxious because, even though my 2020 EPC was in the loweer part of band E, if the assessment method changes I don’t know whether this could fall below.

Any guidance or experiences would be hugely appreciated. Thanks in advance!

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I’d say yes. Search local trades for EPC assessor. It’s £70 or so for them to a new assessment and, if you’re there, you can pick their brains about the new rules and how you can comply. If you can hit C under the current rules, you’ll buy yourself 10 years breathing time.

The biggest issue seems to be that with a gas boiler you’re limited to a D rating no matter what you do after October 2026. At least that’s how I read the rules… which are admittedly complex.

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Oh thanks! There’s no gas in my property, its an electric boiler. My main concern is failing below E and not being able to rent then

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I dont think there’s much, (if any) EPC point difference between different forms of electric heating, apart from storage heaters, which score higher. Your new boiler may score a extra point if its super insulated, but not otherwise. I dont know about the radiators. What is the improvement over the old ones?

Having said that, Ive just renewed my EPC on an all electric flat and it went from a D to a C, but I dont really know why. Its got panel heaters on the wall.

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My 3 bed GSH property went from a D to a C on last month’s EPC renewal and the surveyor it was due to changes in assessments over the last 10 years. That made me realise that all my high D properties could potentially make C now if I get them done. Got two more surveys booked in next week to see if that theory holds true. If so, I buy myself a decade on each property and our plan is to sell the whole portfolio within that period anyway.

The more I look into the new regs from 2026 and particularly from 2030 where any fossil fuel heat source is going to limit you to D, the more I realise that anyone with a gas boiler is going to have to spend a potential £10k per property (or 10% of property value if under £100k) and claim an exemption. Either that or keep it at D, don’t do any improvements and sell with the consequent reduction in asking price to compensate any new owner who wants to let the property (which is pretty much any buyer in the area where I have rental property).

That’s going to need budgeting for if you’re staying in the PRS market long-term.

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@tatemono

The idea people will have to spend 10k is a myth

10k is a cost cap exemption- if it will cost more than 10k to achieve the C you dont have to do the works. Thats not at all the same as saying you have to spend 10k. For an awful lot of properties it would cost far more especially with the shortage of skilled trades with the expertise (which is wholly justified to use after nao found 98% of the govt scheme external wall insulation provided was failed to be done properly)

V good article on all this inc the other exemptions (refusal by freeholder or tenant) and ‘all relevant works done’ exemption - google ‘epc rules independent landlord’

Best

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@Berta

Your current epc is valid 10years so irrespective of improvements made (or if youd somehow made worse) youll be able to rent till 2030 as a min by doing nothing

-Some epc assessors companies i think will let you see the new epc in draft and then if it showed a worsening below e you would choose not to publish it and use the current one instead. Ask them beforehand obvious

Google the article ‘epc ratings independent landlord’

-ideally you get a new C rating by 2029 so valid till 2039 under transitional arrangements or C rating on the new methods which are a mix of current C for the fabric of the building and something else

-nobody will be forced to replace a working gas boiler

-AND exemptions inc 10k cost cap (if work to get to 10k will exceed 10k quite likely if you have an E you dont have to do it)
-all relevant works done (youve already done everything specified in your epc)
-3rd party refuses to let you do works (freeholder or tenant)

You could get a new EPC or a more detailed and more expensive SAP assessment which is more indepth and should tell you exactly what needed/possible. Or just do what was in original 2020 epc and rely on ‘all relevant works done’ exemption based on that… a more recent epc at least and doing what it says in that might be safer tho. Whatever you spend on getting a new EPC or assessment/advice will count towards the 10k cap too

Good luck

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here’s what current regs say (i.e. for properties that can’t achieve EPC E) about conditions under which an exemption will be granted

Where all the “relevant energy efficiency improvements” for the property have been made (or there are none that can be made) and the property remains sub-standard (Regulation 25).

and

The prohibition on letting property below an EPC rating of E does not apply if the cost of making even the cheapest recommended improvement would exceed £3,500 (inc. VAT).

Assuming this reg is going to be raised to £10k when the minimum shifts to C, this means that you need to have demonstrated no more improvements can be made. While the fossil fuel heat source remains in, you’re not going to hit a C. So, alternative heating needs to be installed (solar or heat pump). Solar and battery can def be installed for under £10k for many dwellings. Prices on heat pumps are falling so they’re likely to be within the cap, esp with grants.

My point is that the vast majority of LLs have properties with a fossil fuel heat source that, between now and October 2026 won’t prevent a C being achieved. After that however, they’ll be forced to replace it because the regs you referred me to insist that an exemption will only be granted when “there are none that can be made” to further improve the property.

Well, many of those will have aging double glazing that could be replaced… have the owners made that change? The current regs take double glazing into account if it’s been installed after 2002. That window (ha ha) is likely to shift.

The current regs allow for this with caveats. Do you have anything that says exactly the same conditions apply for EPC C?

BTW, current regs also say

Once registered, the exemption will last 5 years; after this time it will expire and the landlord must try again to improve the property’s EPC rating to meet the minimum level of energy efficiency. If this cannot be achieved then a further exemption may be registered.

Note the “5 years”, “must try again” and “may”. This is onerous for LLs.

Caveat: these are current rules for EPC E minimum. They may change for EPC C minimum.

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@tatemono the thing about not getting a C with fossil fuels/gas boiler is the new EPC methodology but you have the choice to get a C using the current methodology up till 2029 (which then covers you up till 2039).

The relevant improvements exemption is decribed C like this by the govt (jan 26)

“All relevant improvements made’ exemption: No further recommendations on EPC or
from an approved report showing no further improvements possible, and the property
remains below the standard.”

So doing what is in a reasonably up to date epc and nothing more will suffice for now, as you say longer term the new standard will apply and be the only method after 2039 for which we dont know how it will work exactly.

See

‘Improving the energy performance of privately rented homes: 2025 update Government response’ updated 21 jan 26

You are right many LLs will face costs to get to EPC C (either on current methodology or if they choose new epc methodology) by oct 2030 just like when current E req came in. Many will not because the exemptions will be possible and if costs come down on new technologies up to 10k over 10y (the cost cap) per property may be needed

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The current methodology only runs until October 2026. This from the response to the consultation doc:

Government is working hard to deliver new EPCs from October 2026. We recognise the timeline is ambitious and want to work with industry to build a shared implementation plan and test our assumptions.

and from another LL site that shall not be named which many of us abandoned a couple of years ago

The changes to EPC metrics are expected to be introduced in the second half of 2026

Currently, EPC scores are heavily influenced by running costs, where a gas boiler still performs reasonably well. Under the new methodology i.e. from as soon as October, heating is judged separately and gas scores worse than low-carbon systems on the heating metric.

When I said

I didn’t mean to imply from 2026 but, as you state, after 2029. Note that this is only for existing rentals. For new tenancies, it’ll be from 2028!

But, from as soon as October, you might not achieve a C if you’ve made all the fabric improvements you can and still have a gas boiler. If so, then you are going to have to replace that with clean energy before 2028 or 2030 if you want a C, and an exemption will become more difficult to achieve as prices fall on clean energy systems in the next few years.

My take on this is that most LLs will be forced to replace gas boilers with something clean and spend thousands on each property. I’m aware that this is only my interpretation of the situation, but I’m generally cautious and thus like to see what’s coming my way and prepare for it.

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@tatemono read the latest update. The dates have changed. Theres no req for 2026 or 2028. It is now all the same date 2030, new and existing tenancies

See ‘The new EPC minimum energy efficiency standards for landlords for 2030’ by ‘The independent landlord’ or the underlying docs she quotes.

"There’s a lot more to the proposals than the headlines “it’s been delayed to 2030 and the cost cap is £10,000”.

This announcement was contained in a 152-page document called the Warm Homes Plan, and three further documents were published alongside this.

The first were the government’s partial responses to the December 2024 consultation on Reforms to the Energy Performance of Buildings regime, and the February 2025 consultation Improving the energy performance of privately rented homes (82 pages).

However, the important detail of the metrics for new EPC regime is a new consultation closing 18 March, with the snappy name Home Energy Model:Energy Performance Certificates HEM methodology for assessing existing dwellings and producing new EPC Metrics. A mere 29 pages"

You can get a new epc with current method up to 2029 to get epc c which then lasts till 2039. You dont have to use new method till 2030

This is as set out from the indep landlord

" Implementation timetable for the MEES/EPC changes

Here is the timeline for the implementation key proposed changes to the EPC rules for landlords, subject of course to further change:

  • 1 October 2025. All expenditure on improving energy efficiency from 1 October 2025 will count towards the cost cap.
  • 2026. Confirmation of the metrics for the new Home Energy Model (HEM).
  • **Late 2026: **Launch of HEM, to run in parallel with EER until 30 Sept 2029
  • 30 Sept 2029: Last day to get EPC using EER
  • 1 October 2029. Any properties with an EPC C under the EER rules by this date will be deemed to comply with the new MEES requirements until their EPC expires.
  • From 1 October 2030. All private rental properties will need to meet the equivalent of EPC C, either an EPC C under the old EPC methodology (EER), or under the new EPC methodology (HEM), unless they have a valid exemption. Landlords will not be able to continue letting their properties if they don’t meet the new standards or have an exemption by this date.
  • After 1 October 2030. The cost cap will be reviewed to take inflation into account every 5 years, with the earliest review being “after 1 October 2030”.

-as you can see, the plan is for the current EPC system to run in parallel to the new system up till 30 Sep 2029, so you can get an EPC with current system, including use of gas boiler/fossil fuels, until then, which would then be valid for a further 10 years.

Obv the latest on EPC is a consultation doc so still subject to change

But I have been only buying properties with a C [plus one with a D and 68 so one point improvement neededonly] tho, to avoid exactly the potential large costs involved. Properties with a C do cost more accordingly

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all very informative thanks.

I don’t understand this. Which methodology will a surveyor assume when they arrive at a property? Whichever achieves a C? Whichever doesn’t?

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or do you mean EER-based certs will be valid after the date when HEM-based assessments are mandatory?

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Yes exactly - current epcs dont expire and stay valid for the purpose of renting or selling a property.

My understanding is that it is what it says. In parallel. So you can get assessment either using current method or using new method up till 30 sep 2029. The current method is easier to achieve a C as you can still get it with a gas boiler so most LLs will want that. Likely assessors will offer a choice of either method or both

And then those ‘grandfathered’ assessments (including any you already have which say C and would last into the 2030s) will stay valid till they expire after 10 years

So eg you get an assessment based on current methodology in August 2029. It gives you a C. You can then continue to rent out based on that rating till july 2039. After that you need a new epc c based on new method (or an exemption) to rent

Or eg you already have a C based on an existing EPC and it expires in 2035. You can continue to rent using that till it expires in 2035. Again after that you need a new epc c based on new method (or an exemption) to rent

If you dont get a C by 30 sep 2029 using either new or old method, you then have till oct 2030 to achieve a C using the new method. After that (oct 2030) you cant rent out unless you can get one of the various exemptions.

Hope that helps and informs

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hmmm… I’m not sure how… well, let’s wait and see

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@tatemono at some point they will need to get trained/accredited in new method otherwise they wont be able to do their job after sep 2029. But if most of the demand is for current method epc they will delay doing the new method training for now.

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You make it sound like we get to decide when the new methodology is applied. :laughing:

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@tatemono

Well, up till sep 2029 the market will do exactly that- LLs will have a choice which to use. People who go the heat pump/solar route by then might choose to get assessed against the new tougher method, everybody else will choose the current easier method.

There’s still time for the new methodology to be opposed or the timescales pushed back further or the change in methods to be abandoned of course or new concessions to be given. The consultation doesnt close till march and next general election must be by August 2029 we cant be sure a new govt will go ahead with what’s been proposed now.

One of the new concessions is on wall insulation- if thats the only available measure left it will be possible to opt out of doing the work. This is because the govt has recognised importance of doing any wall insulation properly to avoid damp/mould. This will be important for Victorian buildings. And is some evidence of govt listening and amending in light of concerns raised

The govt has (if I’ve understood right) said that even with the new methodology nobody is going to be forced to rip out an existing working gas boiler. Since a gas boiler can easily last 20 years if properly maintained that leaves some uncertainty in what happens in 2039 when the new method will apply and tenants are in place and the gas (or indeed electric) boiler is still working. We dont know for sure but by then sale of new gas boilers will likely be illegal so an alternative would at least need fitting when it does break down. If may be illegal to re-let so it might be it has to be replaced in the void period once a tenancy ends after 2039.

We also dont really know about the alternatives to fossil fuels that will be allowed- Im not clear if using a electric boiler and a green (non fossil fuel) tarriff will be allowed as an answer to part 2 of the new methodology …

Anyway thanks for the scepticism… which I agree with

Ps i think the concessions on wall insulation and on refusal by a third party should auto renew and only need a new application after the end of a ten year initial period if the freeholder (etc) has changed or if the wall structure has changed. It is ridiculous to have to confirm every 10 years that a freeholder refuses permission for works, if somewhere was a historic building 10y ago it wont have changed 10y later etc and if the freeholder hasnt changed why would their position. Or these concessions should be for a minimum of 20y

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I am letting all the above go over my head what may happen may be changed. . One thing for sure ,have a well insulated property

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I wouldn’t bother getting a new EPC until you have to. Maybe a couple of months in advance.

When you do get an assessor either from the register or by recommendation. I find different assessors can come up with different bands for the same property depending on their assumptions. I do have several C houses with a gas boilers.

This government seem to alter rules and regulations fairly often and I think you can be going down a rabbit hole here.