UK Homes to Get Compulsory Energy Rating
Date: 15-Jun-06
Country: UK
Certificates, prepared by registered home inspectors, will give houses A to G ratings for energy efficiency and carbon emissions.
They will also tell homeowners the current average costs for heating, hot water and lighting in their home and suggest how to reduce them.
The certificates will become part of the new, mandatory Home Information Packs which sellers will have to provide from next year.
"Given the growing challenge from climate change and rising energy costs, I think people should be entitled to this kind of information about the home they buy," said Housing Minister Yvette Cooper, about the Energy Performance Certificate (EPC).
By providing people with sound advice on how to improve energy efficiency, this will help sellers and buyers who want to do their bit to cut carbon emissions as well as cutting their fuel bills too, she said.
Paul King, UK Campaigns Director of the World Wildlife Fund, said homes in the UK account for 27 percent of the country's CO2 emissions contributing to global change.
"The introduction of the [EPC] represents a very positive step forward," he said. "It means that for the first time people will be given the kind of user-friendly information they need to reduce both the environmental impact of their homes and energy bills."