EPC Upgrades

17/04/2026

A lot of landlords are about to waste money on EPC upgrades.

Not because the work is wrong.

Because the decision is.

⸻

Right now, most people are doing this backwards.

They’re starting with upgrades.

New windows. Insulation. Solar. Heating changes.

And only afterwards finding out whether it actually gets them to EPC C.

⸻

That’s where the risk is.

Because EPC ratings don’t reward everything equally.

Two landlords can spend the same money…

One reaches C.
The other doesn’t.

⸻

I’ve looked at multiple properties recently where money had already been committed…

And the outcome still wasn’t clear.

That’s not a building problem.

That’s a decision problem.

⸻

The uncomfortable truth is this:

Some properties will reach C relatively easily.
Some will need targeted changes in the right areas.
Some won’t get there without significant spend.

But most landlords don’t know which category they’re in before they start.

⸻

So instead, they follow generic advice.

And hope it works.

⸻

If you’re spending £5k–£15k on upgrades, “hoping” is not a strategy.

⸻

The landlords getting this right are doing one thing differently:

They’re testing the outcome before committing the money.

Not guessing.

Not relying on recommendations.

Actually understanding what will happen to the rating.

⸻

Because once you know that, everything changes.

You either:
• Move forward with confidence
• Adjust the plan
• Or stop before wasting money

⸻

If you’ve got a property below C, or you’re about to start upgrading one, you should already know the answer to this:

Will this property actually reach EPC C — and what’s the most cost-effective way to get there?

Most don’t.

That’s where the mistakes start.

14/04/2026

Many landlords have seen the recent EPC C discussion and assumed the same thing:

“We’ve got more time.”

Maybe.

But more time does not automatically mean less risk.

The mistake is thinking this is only about the deadline.

It is not.

It is also about cost, capacity, and the risk of making decisions too late.

A large number of rented properties are still below EPC C.

So if landlords keep pushing this down the road, the same thing will happen as always:
• installer demand tightens
• costs rise
• choices narrow
• and weaker properties get exposed too late

There is another issue too.

The way properties are assessed is not guaranteed to stay exactly as it is now. The move toward the Home Energy Model matters. That creates another layer of uncertainty for landlords relying on the idea that today’s assumptions and scoring behaviour will stay frozen.

An EPC lasts 10 years.

So for landlords with properties already close to C, there may be a real advantage in understanding that position now rather than gambling on later.

This is not about panic.

It is about control.

The landlords who leave this until the market is crowded will have less leverage, less flexibility, and a higher chance of overspending.

The landlords who get clarity early can make decisions from a position of strength.

At EPC Upgrades, the focus is not generic EPC advice.

It is helping landlords and investors understand:
• whether EPC C is realistically achievable
• what the model is likely to reward
• and where upgrade spend is most likely to be wasted

Because the expensive mistake is not always failing to upgrade.

Often it is spending money blindly.

01/04/2026

After a number of conversations with landlords recently it’s clear there’s still quite a bit of confusion around how EPC ratings are actually calculated.

Many people assume an EPC is simply an inspection of the property.

In reality, the rating is the outcome of a calculation model based on the information recorded during the assessment and how the property performs within that model.

That’s why two properties that appear very similar can sometimes end up with very different EPC ratings.

To help explain how the system works, EPC Upgrades has put together a short guide outlining how EPC assessments are produced under RdSAP and some of the common misunderstandings landlords run into when trying to improve their rating.

The guide is written mainly for landlords, but the same principles apply to anyone buying, selling or renovating a property where the EPC rating may influence the decision.

If you’d like a copy, just comment guide below and we’ll send it over.

27/03/2026

Something interesting happened this week after the EPC myth posts.

Quite a few landlords messaged me asking if I could take a quick look at their EPC to see how close the property actually was to reaching C.

In most cases the question wasn’t:

“How do I upgrade the property?”

It was:

“Is the property already closer to C than I think?”

When I look at an EPC for a landlord, the first thing I’m usually checking is what is actually driving the score.

For example:

• how the walls have been recorded
• insulation assumptions
• heating system and controls
• lighting efficiency
• floor area measurements
• whether smaller improvements have already been captured properly

Often the conversation isn’t about expensive upgrades at all.

It’s about understanding how the property is currently being treated within the EPC model.

Once that’s clear, it becomes much easier to decide whether upgrades are actually needed and what the most sensible next step might be.

This week’s discussions have been really interesting, and it’s clear there’s still quite a lot of confusion around how EPC ratings are actually generated.

21/03/2026

Over the past week I’ve been reviewing a number of landlord EPCs following my recent post.

More than 30 landlords got in touch with the same concern:

“Is getting to EPC C going to require expensive upgrades?”

What was interesting is that in many cases the issue wasn’t major work.

The pattern that kept appearing was properties sitting just a few points below C where most of the larger improvements had already been carried out.

Modern boiler
Double glazing
Some insulation

Yet the EPC score was still being held back.

Often the difference came down to smaller scoring details such as:

• loft insulation not quite at the level that scores maximum points
• heating controls classed as “average” rather than “good”
• TRVs installed but not recorded
• lighting not fully LED
• glazing improvements not evidenced

None of these on their own moves the score very much, but when several are optimised together the rating can shift more than many landlords expect.

Another thing that came up repeatedly was confusion around how the EPC scoring system actually works.

Many landlords assume that major upgrades automatically produce major EPC improvements.

But the RdSAP methodology doesn’t always reward work the way people expect.

Another interesting pattern was the recommendations section on the EPC, which often jumps straight to major works such as wall insulation.

Interestingly, one landlord who contacted me this week had already installed solar PV, new windows and a new boiler, yet the property was still sitting below EPC C.

After reviewing the EPC I was able to identify several smaller scoring improvements that could potentially push the rating over the threshold.

In fact, in the majority of the EPCs reviewed this week there were smaller point increases available that weren’t shown in the recommendation report at all.

Another common issue was landlords assuming previous upgrades would automatically be reflected in the EPC.

Unfortunately an assessment can only record what can be verified at the time.

So sometimes the property itself isn’t the problem.

It’s how the scoring system has captured it.

Most landlords who got in touch weren’t trying to avoid improving their properties.

They simply wanted clarity before spending money on upgrades.

Which makes sense — because once work has been carried out, you can’t always undo upgrades that didn’t actually move the EPC score very much.

After the volume of enquiries this week we’re currently working through existing client work, but it was interesting to see how often the same EPC patterns appeared.

16/03/2026

Over the past week I’ve had a number of landlords send me EPCs for review.

A common pattern is starting to appear.

Many of the properties are already sitting around EPC 60–65 (mid-D) — meaning they are not far from a C.

However, in a lot of cases landlords have already spent money on upgrades that barely moved the EPC score.

New boiler installed.
New windows fitted.
New doors replaced.

Thousands spent — but the rating hardly changes.

Not because the work was poor.

Because the EPC calculation (RdSAP) doesn’t always behave the way most people assume.

Before committing serious money to upgrading a rental property, it’s worth understanding what actually drives the EPC score.

If your property is currently sitting around EPC 60–65, feel free to send the EPC over to:

📩 [email protected]

I’m reviewing a small number of these at the moment and can usually tell quite quickly whether a C looks realistic — or whether it’s likely to require significant work.

At EPC Upgrades, the focus isn’t simply producing EPC certificates. The aim is to help landlords understand the most cost-effective route to improving their rating before spending money on upgrades.

06/03/2026

If your property is sitting around EPC 60–65, feel free to send me the EPC.

I’m reviewing a handful of these at the moment and can usually tell quite quickly whether a C looks realistic — or whether it’s likely to be expensive to achieve.

One of the biggest mistakes I see landlords make is spending money on upgrades that don’t actually move the EPC score very much.

New boiler installed
New windows fitted
New doors replaced

Thousands spent — and the rating barely moves.

Not because the work was bad.

Because RdSAP doesn’t score properties the way most people assume.

Before spending serious money upgrading a rental, it’s worth understanding what actually drives the EPC score.

If yours is around 60–65, send the EPC via DM or email to [email protected] and I’ll take a quick look.

03/03/2026

03/03/2026

There’s a lot of noise right now about EPC C meaning full refurb work.

Tenants out.
Walls opened up.
£15k–£20k spend.

Sometimes that’s reality.

But what I’m seeing more often is money being deployed before the property has actually been modelled properly.

New boiler.
New windows.
Insulation added.

Score barely moves.

Not because the landlord didn’t spend.
Because the scoring mechanics weren’t understood first.

Some properties genuinely require major intervention.

Many D and E rated properties don’t.

The way you figure that out isn’t by guessing.

It’s by modelling the EPC as it stands — then modelling the most cost-effective route to C before a single pound is spent.

23/02/2026

I’ve written a short capital decision guide for landlords reviewing EPC C ahead of 2030.

It’s for investors who want to test feasibility before committing serious refurb spend.

Most landlords don’t miss EPC C because they refuse to invest.

They miss it because they invest first — and test later.

Refurb logic and EPC scoring operate under different rules.

I’ve seen:

• Boilers replaced with minimal scoring impact
• Windows upgraded unnecessarily
• Insulation added that didn’t move the dial
• D ratings that look close to C but aren’t
• Properties that look stuck at D but aren’t

The issue usually isn’t effort.

It’s sequencing.

If you’re pre-refurb, mid-refurb, or reviewing D/E stock, DM me and I’ll send it across.

— Andrew

19/02/2026

Are you sure your builder understands EPC scoring?

Serious question.

When you refurb a rental, who decides what gets upgraded?

Your builder?
Your letting agent?
You?

Because EPC scoring isn’t based on “what seems sensible”.

It’s based on what the calculation recognises.

I’ve reviewed properties where:

– Money went into upgrades that scored almost nothing
– Walls were improved but not evidenced
– Radiators were replaced when controls would’ve moved the rating
– Perfectly good windows were swapped for no gain

That’s not bad workmanship.

It’s bad capital allocation.

If you’re aiming for EPC C before 2030, the question isn’t “what should I upgrade?”

It’s:

“What does the model actually reward?”

There’s a difference.