Before paying for an assessment, check whether a valid certificate already exists. EPCs belong to the property and last 10 years GOV.UK, so a certificate ordered by a previous owner, or by you a forgotten number of years ago, may still be in force.
Which register covers you
| Nation | Register | Run by |
|---|---|---|
| England and Wales | Find an Energy Certificate | GOV.UK GOV.UK register |
| Northern Ireland | Find an Energy Certificate (same service) | GOV.UK GOV.UK register |
| Scotland | Scottish EPC Register | Energy Saving Trust for the Scottish Government Scottish EPC Register |
What you need
A postcode. That is genuinely it: pick the address from the results and the full certificate opens, with the rating, the expiry date and the recommendation list. A certificate reference number works too if you have one from conveyancing papers.
If nothing comes up
Either no EPC has ever been lodged for the address, or the certificate has expired off, or the owner opted the address out of public search, which the England and Wales service allows GOV.UK register. For selling or letting, a missing register entry means you need a new assessment; the cost page explains what that involves and what the assessor does.
Reading what you find
The expiry date tells you whether you can skip a new assessment; run it through the expiry checker if you want the renewal advice too. The band tells a landlord whether the property is lettable: Can I let it? turns any band into a verdict. Scotland's separate rules live on the Scotland page, and Northern Ireland's on the NI page.