Liva Balode
Sustainability Consultant
How to Improve Your Commercial EPC Rating
As a building decarbonisation expert, I’m passionate about the pivotal role Energy Performance Certificates (EPCs) have to play in the ‘greening’ of the commercial property sector – particularly with increasing demand for ESG (Environmental, Social and Governance), CSRD (Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive) and other evidencing of sustainability and climate performance. Here, I’ll walk you through the essentials of EPC ratings and provide actionable insights to achieve the highest possible grade.
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Understanding the need for commercial EPCs
Tangible assessment and disclosure of sustainability performance in buildings is needed more than ever, particularly across the evolving ESG and CSRD landscape. Indeed, the latest UK government white paper sets a target for all commercial premises in England and Wales to achieve a ‘C’ rating by 2028 and a ‘B’ rating by 2030.
But for landlords and developers, achieving a high commercial EPC rating is not only a legal or reporting obligation but also a strategic advantage, enhancing property value and marketability while reducing operational costs. As well as this, it is increasingly pressing to decarbonise the built environment – in the UK alone 25%* of annual carbon emissions are attributable to buildings, and the world has already exceeded the Paris 1.5°C target limit to global warming in year 2024.
EPC ratings range from A/A+ (most efficient) to G (least efficient), based on factors such as energy consumption, insulation properties, heating and cooling systems and the presence of renewable energy sources. In short, these ratings provide a clear picture of how energy-efficient a property is. EPC ratings are determined by a qualified energy assessor who evaluates elements such as the property’s structural characteristics, its heating, cooling and ventilation systems, alongside current energy usage patterns.
*Building to net zero: costing carbon in construction (May 2022) by House of Commons Environmental Audit Committee.
Benefits of a high EPC rating
Improving your commercial EPC rating brings a multitude of benefits:
- Lower energy costs: Efficient systems minimise energy consumption, reducing utility bills.
- Increased property value: Green buildings attract more buyers and tenants, enhancing the property’s market value.
- Enhanced marketability and tenant attraction: Businesses are increasingly prioritising energy efficiency in their premises, making optimal energy performance in your property more desirable, if not essential.
- Compliance with regulations: A high EPC rating ensures adherence to legal requirements, avoiding fines and sanctions.
Conducting an Energy Audit
An energy audit is the first step towards improving your EPC rating. It identifies inefficiencies and highlights areas for improvement, including:
- Evaluating current energy usage patterns
- Inspecting insulation and structural elements
- Assessing the performance and efficiency of HVAC and lighting systems
- Reviewing utility bills and energy performance history
Sweco’s energy performance auditing services provide comprehensive analyses tailored to your property, ensuring a solid foundation for subsequent enhancements.
Key building improvements to consider
Insulation Enhancements
Improving insulation in walls, roofs, and floors can significantly reduce heat loss, helping to boost energy efficiency and thermal comfort. Identifying the right insulation approach for a given building—considering budget, structure, and performance targets—typically benefits from detailed technical assessment and planning.
Tight Air Permeability
Minimising air leakage is essential for both energy performance and occupant comfort. Good air tightness contributes to lower heating and cooling demands and supports decarbonisation goals. Understanding how to achieve and verify tightness levels often requires specialist knowledge, especially for retrofit scenarios or complex building types.
Upgrading heating, ventilation and cooling (HVAC) systems
Efficient HVAC systems play a major role in reducing operational energy use and improving EPC outcomes. Options such as heat pumps, district heating connections, and TABS (Thermally Activated Building Systems) offer potential benefits but must be carefully evaluated and integrated into the building’s overall energy strategy.
Lighting improvements
Switching to LED lighting and adopting smart controls can yield substantial energy savings. Beyond simply replacing fittings, optimal results depend on thoughtful system design that accounts for usage patterns, control strategies, and long-term maintenance.
Renewable energy sources
Incorporating technologies like solar PV, wind generation, or other renewables can reduce reliance on grid energy and improve sustainability credentials. Feasibility, design, and integration are key stages that benefit from technical due diligence and scenario analysis.
Smart building technologies
Technologies such as smart meters and advanced building management systems provide the data and control needed to optimise performance. To maximise value, these systems should be tailored to the building’s specific operational profile and integrated with other improvement measures.
Maintenance and regular checks
Regular maintenance is critical for sustaining energy efficiency. Establishing a routine check-up schedule for inspecting and servicing HVAC systems, insulation integrity, and lighting ensures continued performance. Sweco’s ongoing consultancy support can help you maintain optimal efficiency over time.
Improving your EPC rating provides substantial long-term benefits, from lowering operational costs to enhancing property value. By taking deliberate actions to improve energy efficiency, you set your commercial property on a path to sustainable success. Engaging professional energy assessors or consultants is crucial when seeking to enhance your EPC rating. Sweco’s team offers tailored advice and solutions based on extensive experience and expertise spanning over 20 years – partnering with our MEP, building decarbonisation, and wider building engineering consultancy services can ensure you achieve your performance goals efficiently, effectively and within budget.
Sweco and the Green Transition
The primary aim of the green transition is to steer away from traditional, fossil-fuel based energy systems and practices towards sustainable, environmentally-friendly approaches and technologies.
This societal shift is aimed at reducing environmental impact, combating climate change, and promoting a circular economy. It will draw upon initiatives that transform resource production and consumption, focusing on minimising carbon emissions, enhancing energy efficiency, and promoting biodiversity in urban and rural areas.
For Sweco, viewing projects through the green transition lens is essential to our mission of ‘transforming society together’, bringing to life our determination to be a leader and role model in the consultancy space in the green transition.
We’re proud to be taking responsibility for, and being a central part of, the solution to society’s sustainability and carbon problems – challenging our clients, and ourselves, to deliver digitally enabled, sustainable, innovative outcomes through technical excellence and expert consultancy across our whole portfolio.
