kanrent Posted August 28, 2022 Report Share Posted August 28, 2022 Hi I have a property that just makes an EPC of D If I install solar panels 4kw at a cost of about £5000 with hardly any distribution to the tenant i can get it up to just inside a C. Just interested if anyone here has had solar panels fitted to upgrade their EPC Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richlist Posted August 28, 2022 Report Share Posted August 28, 2022 I have solar panels on my own place.....Richlist Castle ......but have no idea what affect it has on an epc. I suspect, in the the current energy crisis, that having solar panels on any rental property might provide an opportunity for a rent increase and certainly if it were empty then prospective tenants would be queuing up to take the tenancy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kanrent Posted August 29, 2022 Author Report Share Posted August 29, 2022 7 hours ago, Richlist said: I have solar panels on my own place.....Richlist Castle ......but have no idea what affect it has on an epc. I suspect, in the the current energy crisis, that having solar panels on any rental property might provide an opportunity for a rent increase and certainly if it were empty then prospective tenants would be queuing up to take the tenancy. Do you store it in a battery or sell back to the grid rl Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richlist Posted August 29, 2022 Report Share Posted August 29, 2022 We have a 14 panel solar array that produces a max of 4 kw. We chose to have the additional domestic hot water feature. The sun comes up, the panels start producing energy which is distributed in the following order. First it runs the house, anything left over heats the domestic hot water. If the water has reached its thermostat setting any excess energy is automatically exported to the grid. We chose not to have a storage battery as the price for a 4kw battery was £6K and not cost effective. A battery would be useful in spring and summer as it would charge up from excess solar energy during the day and power the house after sunset. But remember, this is the UK, not California and autumn/winter barely produces enough solar during the day to power the house so there would be little excess to charge the battery. The most we've had from our solar panels in a single day in summer is around 25kw......most of which is exported. Our house needs around 300w/hour to run when unoccupied (fridge, freezer, hot tub). Domestic hot water needs around 2kw a day to maintain temperature. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grampa Posted August 29, 2022 Report Share Posted August 29, 2022 On 8/28/2022 at 6:33 AM, kanrent said: Hi I have a property that just makes an EPC of D If I install solar panels 4kw at a cost of about £5000 with hardly any distribution to the tenant i can get it up to just inside a C. Just interested if anyone here has had solar panels fitted to upgrade their EPC If you are considering this on the basis of a EPC report and the suggestions added within the report I would suggest you do your own assessment of the property first as the reports in my experience dont list all the optional changes you can make to achieve the require rating. I would establish how many points you require to reach a C rating which is 69. a D starts at 55 so the most you would need is 14 points and its surprising how easy it can to get these extra points by doing a number of minor/cheapish improvements. The below point gains are estimates as all houses vary. LED bulbs 1-3 points TRV Radiator valves 2-4 points Draft Excluder on any wooden front/rear doors 1-2 point Double glazing 5-12 points. Triple glazing can get you a couple more points and can also sometimes be swapped and you keep your current frames. Loft insulation 7-13 points 300mm thickness gives the max allowance. A top-up to 300mm 1-3 extra points Condensing Boiler 5-20 points depending on current boiler. Heating Programmer 1-2 points Intelligent Thermostat 1-2 points Room Thermostat 1-2 points Water tank Jacket 1-3 points Cavity wall insulation 4-10 points This is just some of the ways to squeeze extra points but it also depends on the assessor as 2 assessor can give differant results. Also the assessor needs access to meter cupboards and if for example he cant see for himself there is a duel tarif off peak meter you wont get the points for it. The same goes for cavity wall insulation they will need to see proof of it and like wise for any flat roof with built in insulation. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kanrent Posted August 29, 2022 Author Report Share Posted August 29, 2022 2 hours ago, Grampa said: If you are considering this on the basis of a EPC report and the suggestions added within the report I would suggest you do your own assessment of the property first as the reports in my experience dont list all the optional changes you can make to achieve the require rating. I would establish how many points you require to reach a C rating which is 69. a D starts at 55 so the most you would need is 14 points and its surprising how easy it can to get these extra points by doing a number of minor/cheapish improvements. The below point gains are estimates as all houses vary. LED bulbs 1-3 points TRV Radiator valves 2-4 points Draft Excluder on any wooden front/rear doors 1-2 point Double glazing 5-12 points. Triple glazing can get you a couple more points and can also sometimes be swapped and you keep your current frames. Loft insulation 7-13 points 300mm thickness gives the max allowance. A top-up to 300mm 1-3 extra points Condensing Boiler 5-20 points depending on current boiler. Heating Programmer 1-2 points Intelligent Thermostat 1-2 points Room Thermostat 1-2 points Water tank Jacket 1-3 points Cavity wall insulation 4-10 points This is just some of the ways to squeeze extra points but it also depends on the assessor as 2 assessor can give differant results. Also the assessor needs access to meter cupboards and if for example he cant see for himself there is a duel tarif off peak meter you wont get the points for it. The same goes for cavity wall insulation they will need to see proof of it and like wise for any flat roof with built in insulation. The cavity wall insulation was put in when it was built, built according to the building regulations at the time and checked by the building inspector will they still need proof? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bil8999 Posted August 29, 2022 Report Share Posted August 29, 2022 I also believe the age of the property and the date when any improvements were completed make a difference to the EPC Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grampa Posted August 29, 2022 Report Share Posted August 29, 2022 3 hours ago, kanrent said: The cavity wall insulation was put in when it was built, built according to the building regulations at the time and checked by the building inspector will they still need proof? From my experience of assessors they accept evidence in the form of invoices, photos, evidence of seeing the multiple drill holes where insulation has be pumped in to, but generally not, without some form of evidence. Can you get any documentation from the builder, surveyors report or even just remove one brick if that's possible. It maybe worthwhile phoning around a couple of assessors and have a conversation about what you are trying to achieve before called them out and what you need to do as it will vary to vary depending on the assessor. These EPC assessors can get audited so they need some record/evidence to prove how they assessed the building but the mockery of it is appliance's do not have to work. So an unscrupulous person could just fix a boiler, room thermostat, off peak meter, Heating Programmer to the wall but not connected and get the points value for it. I've even been told an invoice of a delivery of insulation to a property would suffice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grampa Posted August 29, 2022 Report Share Posted August 29, 2022 3 hours ago, bil8999 said: I also believe the age of the property and the date when any improvements were completed make a difference to the EPC I'm sure it does, as the older the materials the likely hood of a less insulation value. There is a huge number of factors that the algorithms in their computer mash up to come up with a score. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bil8999 Posted August 30, 2022 Report Share Posted August 30, 2022 Some years back we installed a lowered false ceiling to a ground floor flat, insulated above ceiling, insulation between floor, then sound proof the floor. Assessor could not allow for the insulation, as not on her system. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kanrent Posted August 30, 2022 Author Report Share Posted August 30, 2022 4 hours ago, bil8999 said: Some years back we installed a lowered false ceiling to a ground floor flat, insulated above ceiling, insulation between floor, then sound proof the floor. Assessor could not allow for the insulation, as not on her system. What system Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bil8999 Posted August 30, 2022 Report Share Posted August 30, 2022 There was no provision for insulation between ground and 1st floor, on her computer system, only in loft space. 5 hours ago, kanrent said: What system Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grampa Posted August 30, 2022 Report Share Posted August 30, 2022 7 hours ago, kanrent said: What system Its the program they use to enter the information into. So I guess if there isnt an option for it, it cant be accounted for. However, I was told the programs algorithms' were updated a few years ago which meant (so i was told by an assessor) that an EPC calculated on the old program would now likely to score higher (better) on the new program. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kanrent Posted August 31, 2022 Author Report Share Posted August 31, 2022 8 hours ago, Grampa said: Its the program they use to enter the information into. So I guess if there isnt an option for it, it cant be accounted for. However, I was told the programs algorithms' were updated a few years ago which meant (so i was told by an assessor) that an EPC calculated on the old program would now likely to score higher (better) on the new program. Sounds promising maybe they can update it some more haha Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
albertlane Posted July 4 Report Share Posted July 4 It's been a while since your post, but I wanted to offer some insight. I haven't personally installed solar panels for an EPC upgrade, but I did explore similar options when I was in a similar situation. Have you considered other energy-efficient upgrades alongside solar panels? Things like LED lighting, insulation, or even smart thermostats could complement the solar setup and potentially enhance your EPC rating even further. Just a thought! And hey, if you're looking for reliable solar solutions, I've heard good things about https://solarsmart.ie. They might have some insights too! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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