I believe most EPCs are done quickly and cheaply by people with minimal training and probably very limited understanding of heat pumps.Maybe the ASHP manufacturers or installers could provide a list of EPC certifiers who know the subject. Might be a bit more expensive but would give the correct rating.

More proof (if proof were needed!) that EPC’s aren’t necessarily equal or valid. The referenced presentation is about some Passive Houses that only rate a ‘B’ EPC!!!

Regards, Toodles.

As I understand the system, SAP (and by default RdSAP) is a CO2 reduction assessment/tool so if the house is not a new build then the EPC reports are done using the RdSAP method, which is based on the age of the house and the price of its primary fuel source, not how well it is constructed, so could give confusingly low score for a passive house.  I did not watch the video so I am not sure if this was a new build or not.

I had a "whole house survey" done as part of the BEIS EoH trial, which included an EPC rating.

My bungalow (which had a G rated ie inefficient gas powered heating system) was rated 53 E.

After the heat pump was installed it was re-evaluated and it scored 71 C. However, the hot water is considered Poor 'from main system' - that's quite ridiculous as I get a COP of around 2.5 even in winter. 

Also the Main heating control is rated Average with the suggestion for improvement to install Zone controls, which as we read everywhere makes heat pumps less efficient !!!

The EPC system definitely needs work.

Just had my own EPC done recent, heating deemed as poor, I have a heat pump, Battery's and PV.

EPC system is not fit for purpose. 

@abernyte A ‘Housing Association’ type New Build. Toodles

This is a known problem and IMO is taking far too long to sort out.  The problem exists right at the top of the tree with the UK standard/methodology (SAP / RdSAP) - which is then used as the base specification for EPC software etc used by the industry.  So the 'error' is hard wired into the entire system.  The best informed reference I have found about this:

I am a retired Head of Medical Physics (NHS) and have been working on project to support parish residents to improve the energy efficiency of their homes (retrofitting).  We crashed straight into this and our practical 'sticking plaster' was to add some wording about this into retrofit survey reports to alert homeowners about the shortfalls in the modelling.  This is particularly a problem with multiple renewables, eg, ASHP + solar PV + battery.

RdSAP V10 should have been released this month, but has now been delayed until 'summer'.  I am told by those who know that V10 will improve the situation.             

There needs to be a much stronger lobby on this.  If anyone is inclined to write to their MP - this would be a good topic!

@ajn9000 Very interesting - and somewhat of an eye-opener as to how inadequate the EPC regime is! After reading this and being curious, I studied my own EPC which only made recommendations for solar heating for the DHW and fitting some PV panels. No mention of heat pump at all. To be fair, the EPC included a link to follow if I wished to carry out further improvements; on that site, I found the link to the BUS scheme. I feel this is rather a second-hand way of providing further reading and is hardly ‘in your face’, it is as though the powers that be don’t believe in or want anyone to even consider heat pumps!!! Harrumph, Toodles.

@toodles your EPC is a limited tool that needs to be affordable to produce - hence it heavily relies on modelling.  It is geared to produce a rating, rather than an improvement plan.  A retrofit assessment (as per PAS2035: https://www.trustmark.org.uk/business/information-guidance/pas-20352019-pas-203020352023) is much more useful to households, but still uses RdSAP methodology.  Best to view this and EPCs as art, not science.

With what I now know, I believe that there are thousands of households holding EPC certificates who may well have been encouraged to be curious about heat pumps if the SAP / RdSAP methodology had been more fit for purpose.

Lots going on behind the scenes, eg see attached from Elmhurst.  But also lots of missed opportunities, past and present.