Government delays EPC reforms until 2027

The government has moved the launch of its reforms to domestic Energy Performance Certificates to the second half of 2027.

Reforms to the Energy Performance Certificates (EPC) and Display Energy Certificates (DEC) were out for consultation between 4 December 2024 to 26 February 2025.

The proposals sought to clarify and consolidate regulations, update metrics and refine requirements for the certifications.

The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government and the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero published a partial response to the consultation in January of this year, at which point it said it was “working hard to deliver new EPCs from October 2026” while noting that “the timeline is ambitious”.

However, in an update to the consultation webpage on Monday, it revealed that “following engagement with industry on the delivery timeline” it had “decided to move the launch of the reforms to the second half of 2027”.

“We will work with industry and the devolved administrations to agree a new launch date and shared implementation plan by the summer of this year,” it said.

EPCs measure the energy efficiency of buildings, providing a picture of how costly they will be to heat and light, and how high its CO2 emissions are likely to be.

Following its planned reforms to the certificates, EPCs will be measured by four headline performance metrics, rather than a single overall score. These will be fabric performance, heating system performance, smart readiness and energy cost.

Kate Atherton, policy officer at the National Housing Federation, said: “Housing associations are committed to ensuring that all residents benefit from homes that are energy efficient and to date more than three quarters of their homes are EPC A-C, more than any other tenure.

“EPC reform is long overdue, and is vital to understanding how to best benefit residents over the long term, as well as what will be required by the new Minimum Energy Efficiency Standards. 

“Housing associations are working towards the first MEES metric by 2030, however with the implementation date for EPC reform changed to 2027, it is essential that the supporting detail in the Home Energy Model is published in order to plan and deliver this vital work.”

Matthew Scott, CIH policy manager, added: “CIH members have been telling us for some time that the October 2026 launch date for new EPCs was extremely ambitious, so we welcome confirmation that the government is moving to a more realistic timeline. This will ensure the new EPC regime can be developed properly and launched successfully next year.

“However, as social and private landlords prepare to comply with new Minimum Energy Efficiency Standards (MEES), it is still vital that clarity is provided as soon as possible on the Home Energy Model and the government’s approach to the new EPC bandings. Without this clarity, landlords are less likely to have the certainty they need to plan and deliver their retrofit programmes, both to 2030 and beyond.”