Knowledge base

EPC guides

Written by the assessors who do the surveys — no filler, no legal hedging, just what landlords, freeholders and managing agents actually need to get compliant.

Awais & the Team EPC assessors

London-based. Clear answers. Direct contact.

4.9/5100+ reviews1,000+ EPCs completedRated 4.9 out of 5 from more than 100 reviews. More than 1,000 EPCs completed by registered energy assessors.

Registered energy assessors
Typical 24hr turnaround
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10+ years’ experience
Established 2014

Energy efficiency rating chart from an Energy Performance Certificate

Awais Sarwar enjoying cricket in a London park

Your assessor, personally accountable

Awais Sarwar, MSc — Accredited Energy Assessor

Awais is an accredited domestic and commercial energy assessor and the owner of Team EPC. He has surveyed and lodged EPCs across flats, houses, HMOs, managed portfolios and commercial premises throughout London and the Home Counties, and is currently studying an MSc in philosophy alongside running the business.

EPC Register

Accredited assessor

MSc

Built environment

MSc Philosophy

Currently studying

10+ years

London property

Fire Risk Specialists

Sister brand, same owner

Off the clock: cricket, family time, an MSc in philosophy in progress and finding London's best food.

Awais Sarwar

Founder · Accredited energy assessor

About Awais

020 3092 8551 Full consultant profile

27 guides

Everything we know, written down.

Each guide is written and reviewed by an accredited energy assessor surveying London homes every week.

What is an EPC and when do you need one?

The plain-English answer to what an EPC actually is, who has to get one, and what happens if you don't.

11 min read

How much does an EPC cost in 2026?

What EPCs actually cost in 2026, what changes the price, and how to spot a quote that's too good to be true.

10 min read

How long does an EPC take, and how fast can you get one?

The survey itself takes under an hour — here's what actually determines how quickly you get the finished certificate.

10 min read

EPC ratings explained: bands A to G and what the score means

What the letter on your certificate actually means, how the underlying number is worked out, and why it matters more than ever for landlords.

12 min read

How to improve your EPC rating: cheap improvements for landlords

Start with evidence and suitable lower-cost measures, then price the upgrades your actual property needs.

13 min read

Landlord EPC rules and MEES: the minimum band E requirement explained

What the minimum energy efficiency standard actually requires before you can lawfully let a property, and what to do if your building falls short.

11 min read

EPC C by 2030: the landlord deadline, £10,000 cap and what to do now

A practical, sourced landlord plan: separate today’s Band E rule from the government’s announced 2030 standard before spending.

10 min read

EPCs for HMOs: when one certificate covers the house and when it doesn't

The rule that trips up more landlords than any other: whether an HMO needs one EPC or several depends on how the building is actually let.

11 min read

EPCs when selling a house: what estate agents and conveyancers need

An EPC needs to exist before a property is marketed, not before completion — the order this happens in trips up more sales than it should.

10 min read

EPC exemptions: listed buildings, holiday lets and the PRS register

Listed status doesn't automatically exempt a property from needing an EPC — the actual test is much narrower than most owners assume.

10 min read

RdSAP explained: how your EPC rating is actually calculated

RdSAP is not a full building simulation — it is a standardised methodology built on age-based assumptions, on-site measurement and photographic evidence. Here is what actually goes into your number.

12 min read

SAP calculations for new builds: design stage to as-built EPC

New builds are assessed under full SAP, not RdSAP, and the process runs in two distinct stages long before anyone moves in. Here is how design-stage and as-built calculations fit together.

12 min read

Commercial EPCs explained: SBEM, levels 3 to 5 and MEES for landlords

Non-domestic EPCs are built on a different methodology to residential ones, assessed at different levels of complexity, and carry their own minimum standard for lettings.

13 min read

The EPC Register: lodgement, finding your certificate and fixing errors

Every valid EPC in England and Wales sits on one national, public database. Here is how lodgement actually works, and what to do when you cannot find yours or think it is wrong.

10 min read

How long does an EPC last, and when do you need a new one?

There is no legal duty to renew an EPC mid-life. The ten-year validity period, and the specific events that actually force a new certificate, explained plainly.

10 min read

Solid wall insulation and your EPC: points, cost and risk

Solid wall insulation is one of the biggest single EPC gains available on a pre-1930s house, but it is also the most expensive and disruptive measure most owners will consider.

12 min read

Heat pumps and EPC ratings: what actually changes on the certificate

A heat pump nearly always improves the environmental impact rating on an EPC. Whether it improves the headline energy rating too depends on the fabric it is heating.

11 min read

Windows, glazing and EPCs: how much a replacement really adds

New windows are one of the most visible home improvements a buyer or landlord makes, but on the EPC they are usually a modest contributor, not a band-changing measure on their own.

10 min read

EPCs for flats: communal heating, block data and access

A flat's EPC depends on more than what happens inside the front door. Shared heating systems, communal areas and access to plant rooms all shape the result.

11 min read

EPC penalties and enforcement: fines, trading standards and MEES

The penalties for getting EPC compliance wrong sit in two different systems — general marketing failures and MEES minimum standard breaches — and the exposure is different for each.

12 min read

EPCs for a block of flats: how many you need and what it costs

A block does not get one EPC. Each self-contained flat that is sold or let needs its own certificate, which is why blocks are quoted per flat and organised as a single visit programme rather than a string of separate bookings.

11 min read

Bulk EPC pricing explained: what drives the per-property rate

Bulk EPC quotes vary far more than they should, mostly because providers price different things. Five factors explain almost all of the difference.

10 min read

Part L and SAP for developers: what you need at each stage

Part L problems are almost always sequencing problems. Design-stage SAP done late, or as-built evidence collected after the fact, is what turns compliance into a delay.

11 min read

Commercial MEES: planning a portfolio to 2030

MEES exposure on a commercial portfolio is rarely evenly spread. A handful of assets usually carry most of the risk, and finding them early is what makes the spend manageable.

11 min read

Can you get an EPC the same day?

A direct answer to the question people type at the worst possible moment: yes, a same-day EPC is usually possible in London, it costs a little more, and the two things that decide it are assessor availability and access.

7 min read

Does a communal hallway need an asbestos survey as well as a fire risk assessment?

Conveyancers request the fire risk assessment and the asbestos survey in the same email because the shared hallway is caught by two different duties at once. Here is what each one requires, which buildings it applies to, and what a complete set of documents looks like.

10 min read