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

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps the Government will take to ensure that an EPC regime based on real performance informs the retrofit strategies of all homes that need upgrading before 2035.

In September 2020, the Government published an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) Action Plan detailing a series of commitments to maximise the effectiveness of EPCs as a tool for improving the energy performance of buildings. These commitments culminate to deliver the following three outcomes: an EPC system that produces accurate, reliable, and trusted EPCs, an EPC that engages consumers and supports policy to drive action, and data infrastructure fit for the future of EPCs.

In November, the Government published a progress report detailing the significant work undertaken thus far in delivering the commitments within the Action Plan. This included progressing work to develop the next iteration of the underlying Standard Assessment Procedure (SAP) methodology, SAP 11, to improve the accuracy of EPCs. A range of measures are being considered, including options for integrating Smart Meter Enabled Thermal Efficiency Ratings, to bring the measurement of energy performance closer to the in-use performance of the building.