EPC – Improvement advice for 2025 please?

EPC – Improvement advice for 2025 please?

12:00 PM, 19th January 2022, About 3 years ago 59

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We are a company just starting our adventure into the BTL market – we own 1 property and are nearing completion on the second in the North East. This property is well into Level E of the EPC and I’m looking at options we can do during renovation to up the level getting ready for 2025.

One of the items I’m wanting to investigate is solar PV which seems to gain a lot of points, the other is thermal cladding – but being an end of terrace house, cladding seems to be very expensive. On the other hand, Solar PV (based on websites) seems to be doable if we can increase the rent from £500 to £550

In a discussion with our agent about this, his advice was to forget about this at present as:
* The legislation is still under discussion and will only apply to housing associations from 2025
* He expects the points basis will change as it did when level E was introduced – “suddenly all brick house complied with level E”
*The government, despite killing Green Homes, will make funding available for all house owners

Am I worrying unduly about this proposed legislative change?

Thanks in advance

Mike


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Allan Thornton

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11:22 AM, 24th January 2022, About 3 years ago

I am assuming that it is a double brick cavity wall.
Specific question for the EPC assessor - How would EPS graphite coated bead cavity wall insulation affect your EPC? Cheaper than external cladding - and if you are craftsmen then virtually able to be done by yourself.
Slightly better would be glass bead insulation but also a bit more expensive.
In both cases the extra benefit is there is no bridging between internal and external wall. Water drains between the gaps of the beads.....
Solar panels are least effective method and need cleaning regularly - something they wont tell you.

Allan Thornton

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11:34 AM, 24th January 2022, About 3 years ago

Reply to the comment left by Chris Byways at 22/01/2022 - 19:03
Electric heaters may be 100% efficient but the process of producing electricity whether from renewables or not is really the most inefficient way of providing electricity to the heaters. And has a whole edifice of vampires legal and financial feeding off the industry

Mike Workman

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15:32 PM, 24th January 2022, About 3 years ago

Hi all. Thanks for all the advice.
In the renovation, we will do the 'quick wins' - thermostats in the rooms, ceiling insulation etc.
The house has a a gas boiler and we'll wait until they sort out the gas/electric boiler issue before possibly switching to solar PV.
The guidance on vandalism to external cladding is very valuable, so we'll definitely go internal if we get to that point.
I'd like to get some better information on Solar PV than seems to be available on the web - can anyone recommend a specialist I could contact, preferable in the North-East?
Once again thanks to everyone.

Martin

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18:08 PM, 25th January 2022, About 3 years ago

Reply to the comment left by Allan Thornton at 24/01/2022 - 11:22 "Solar panels are least effective method and need cleaning regularly - something they wont tell you."

This is not my experience. I have had solar panels on my roof for 11 years, they have never been cleaned and still make the same amount of power each year as when they were first installed.

Seething Landlord

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18:42 PM, 25th January 2022, About 3 years ago

Reply to the comment left by Martin at 25/01/2022 - 18:08
That is exactly my experience.

Chris Byways

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22:08 PM, 25th January 2022, About 3 years ago

Reply to the comment left by Martin at 25/01/2022 - 18:08
Not my experience. Gets very dirty depends how many trees and well fed birds I guess.......

Quality of panel and age may also be a factor.

As a means of getting up to EPC C or better by PV is going to vary significantly by property, latitude, whether flats, suitable clear roof etc.

Martin

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7:44 AM, 26th January 2022, About 3 years ago

Reply to the comment left by Chris Byways at 25/01/2022 - 22:08
PV's would not be recommended if there was considerable shadow caused by trees etc. How often do you have to clean yours and at what cost?

Chris Byways

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8:10 AM, 26th January 2022, About 3 years ago

The trees are the other side of the river so untouchable and affect late afternoon/evening, the roof faces southwest, so again I lose morning sun. Being installed about 12 years they are less responsive to daylight than later panels. Only cleaned a couple of times as a conservatory and pond make it less than easy. Quotes to clean have been £35 to £300. Measuring cleaning effectiveness is not a science, HtH. Ease of installation in many rental properties can be challenging on many fronts, especially if misoperated, trashed or taken....... Would a flat with PV rent for any more than one without?

Badger

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11:13 AM, 26th January 2022, About 3 years ago

Reply to the comment left by Chris Byways at 26/01/2022 - 08:10
"Would a flat with PV rent for any more than one without?"

Doubtful, I'd have thought.

I am an extremely keen advocate of PV but I would have to think very carefully about installing them on any of our rentals.

And when it comes to blocks of flats I know of at least one installation that had PV built-in from the outset and was widely touted as the new way forward at the time they were put up just a few years ago where the system has not been operational for most of that time because the building management refuses to repair it so it has become something of a white elephant. Of course this is just anecdotal and references just one block but I do wonder whether the wider world out there is really ready for routine PV quite yet?

Freda Blogs

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13:07 PM, 26th January 2022, About 3 years ago

Reply to the comment left by Chris Byways at 25/01/2022 - 22:08Also beware neighbours who install PV panels - a neighbour of one of my properties installed them (a semi detached). Pigeons like to nest under and adjacent to the panels because of the warmth, and spent their days sitting on the fence between the houses (tails to my side), and on my tenant's satellite dish, happily doing their business all over the dish and patio of my property. Very unpleasant.
The issue was only resolved when the neighbour installed some mesh between the panels to discourage the pigeons.

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