EPC Certificate Cost 2026: What You'll Pay

How Much Does an EPC Certificate Cost in 2026?

£60 to £80. That's what most homeowners actually pay for an EPC certificate right now.

The official range runs from about £35 at the bottom to £120 at the top, but those extremes are unusual. A one-bedroom flat in a city centre where assessors are competing for work? You might see prices as low as £35 to £45. A five-bedroom detached house in a rural area where the nearest assessor drives 40 minutes to reach you? That's where you'll hit £100 or more. For the typical three-bedroom semi that makes up a huge chunk of the UK housing stock, you're looking at that £60 to £80 sweet spot, and honestly, it's one of the cheapest property assessments you'll ever pay for.

Here's a rough breakdown by property type:

Those figures come from what we see quoted across comparison sites and assessor directories. They shift depending on where you live, how busy the local market is, and whether the assessor bundles EPCs with other services.

One thing to flag: your EPC is valid for 10 years. So even at the top end, you're paying roughly £10 a year for a document that can qualify you for thousands in grant funding. When you frame it that way, the cost argument disappears pretty quickly.

What Affects the Price of an EPC Assessment?

Not all EPCs are priced the same, and the reasons aren't always obvious.

Property size. Bigger homes take longer to assess. An assessor in a one-bed flat might be done in 20 minutes. A four-bed detached with a loft conversion, conservatory, and outbuildings could take over an hour. Time is money.

Location. London and the South East tend to be slightly more expensive for everything, EPCs included. But the real price driver isn't region, it's competition. Urban areas with dozens of assessors competing on price tend to be cheaper than rural areas where one or two assessors cover a wide patch. We've seen identical property types quoted at £50 in Manchester and £85 in mid-Wales.

Assessor availability. This one catches people out. If you need an EPC urgently because you're selling or applying for a grant with a deadline, you'll pay more. Assessors charge a premium for next-day visits. Book a week or two ahead and you'll almost always get a better rate.

Bundled services. Some assessors offer discounts if you're getting an EPC alongside a gas safety certificate or electrical inspection. Worth asking about if you're a landlord or preparing a property for sale.

So what doesn't affect the price? Your current EPC rating. An assessor charges the same whether your home ends up rated B or rated G. The assessment process is identical regardless of how efficient your home turns out to be.

How to Find a Cheap EPC Certificate Near You

Right, so you want the best price without ending up with a dodgy assessor who rushes through in 10 minutes and gives you an inaccurate rating. Fair enough.

Start with the official EPC register. Every accredited assessor in England and Wales is listed on the government's register at gov.uk, and you can search by postcode. This guarantees the assessor is qualified and their certificates are legally valid. Scotland has its own register through Energy Saving Trust.

Then compare at least three quotes. This sounds obvious, but most people just book the first one they find. The price variation between assessors covering the same area can be 30% to 40%, so five minutes of comparison shopping could save you £20 to £30.

A few practical tips that actually work:

• Search "EPC near me" and check Google Maps reviews. Assessors with lots of reviews tend to be established and competitive on price.
• Ask your estate agent, but don't automatically use their recommended assessor. Agents sometimes get referral fees, which means the assessor's price is inflated to cover the kickback.
• If you're in a block of flats, coordinate with neighbours. Some assessors offer a discount for multiple assessments in the same building on the same day.

And here's what most guides won't tell you: the cheapest EPC isn't always the best value. An assessor who spends 15 minutes and misses that your cavity walls are insulated could land you with a worse rating than you deserve. That worse rating might mean you miss out on a grant, or it might mean a buyer offers less for your property. The difference between a thorough £70 assessment and a rushed £40 one can be worth thousands down the line, especially if you're planning to improve your EPC rating to qualify for funding.

What Happens During an EPC Assessment?

The assessor turns up, walks around your home, and records everything that affects energy efficiency. That's the short version.

The longer version: they'll check your walls (construction type, whether they're insulated), your windows (single, double, or triple glazed), your roof and loft (insulation depth and type), your boiler or heating system (age, type, efficiency), your hot water system, any renewable energy like solar panels, your lighting, and the general dimensions of each room. They'll usually take photos.

It takes 30 to 60 minutes for a typical home.

You don't need to prepare much, but it helps to know a few things in advance. If you've had cavity wall insulation installed, have the certificate or receipt ready. Same for loft insulation, a new boiler, or double glazing. Without evidence, the assessor has to make assumptions based on the age and type of your property, and those assumptions are almost always conservative. They'll assume your walls are uninsulated unless you can prove otherwise. That assumption alone can drag your rating down by a full band.

Interesting aside: the EPC methodology, called RdSAP, was last updated in 2012 and doesn't account for smart heating controls, battery storage, or modern heat pump efficiencies particularly well. There's a new version in the works, but it's been "coming soon" for years. Anyway.

Once the assessment is done, the assessor uploads the data and your certificate appears on the public EPC register, usually within a few days. You'll get a rating from A (best) to G (worst), plus a list of recommended improvements with estimated costs and savings. If you want to understand what each band actually means for your home, our EPC ratings explained guide breaks it all down.

How Your EPC Rating Affects Grant Eligibility

This is where the £60 you spent on that certificate starts paying for itself.

Most government energy grants in 2026 have EPC requirements. Some need you to have a rating below a certain band to qualify. Others need you to have a rating above a certain band. And a few don't care about your rating at all but still require the certificate as proof of your property's baseline.

The Boiler Upgrade Scheme, which gives you £7,500 towards an air source heat pump, requires a valid EPC. Your home doesn't need a specific rating to qualify, but you need the certificate. No EPC, no application. If you're considering a heat pump, our guide on whether heat pumps are worth it covers the real costs and savings.

ECO4, which can fully fund insulation and heating upgrades for eligible households, targets homes rated D, E, F, or G. If your EPC shows a C or above, you won't qualify through the standard route. The scheme runs until December 2026, so the clock is ticking on this one.

The Warm Homes: Local Grant, which replaced the old Warm Homes: Plan delivery in some areas, varies by local authority but almost universally requires an EPC. Some councils set their own band thresholds. You can read more about what the Warm Homes Plan means for homeowners to see how this works in your area.

So here's our honest take: if your EPC is more than five years old and you've made any improvements to your home since it was done, get a new one before applying for grants. Yes, the old one might still be legally valid. But if you've added loft insulation, upgraded your boiler, or installed double glazing since the last assessment, your current rating is probably better than what's on file. A better rating won't help with ECO4 (where you need a worse rating to qualify), but it will give you an accurate baseline and might open doors for other schemes.

Honestly, this one depends on your situation and we can't give you a straight answer without knowing what improvements you've made. But as a rule of thumb: £60 to £80 for a fresh EPC is a small price when grant funding runs into the thousands.

Which 2026 Energy Grants Require an EPC Certificate?

Quick reference. Here's what needs an EPC and what doesn't:

The Great British Insulation Scheme closed in March 2026, so that's no longer an option. While it was running, it required an EPC too.

Notice that the 0% VAT relief on energy-saving materials doesn't need an EPC at all. If you're getting solar panels, a heat pump, insulation, or a heat battery installed, the VAT reduction is automatic. Your installer simply charges 0% instead of 20%. No forms. No EPC. No income test.

But for everything else on that list, you need that certificate. And given that the Boiler Upgrade Scheme alone can save you £7,500, spending £60 to £80 on the document that gets you through the door is one of the better returns you'll find.

Open our eligibility checker. Two minutes. You'll see exactly which grants your property qualifies for.