This is according to new research by Consumer Focus which carried out a survey to find out how useful prospective buyers and tenants found the certificates which landlords and homeowners are legally required to provide when selling or letting a home. It found that four out of five people who had received an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) when buying or renting had not acted on any of its recommendations to make their new home more energy efficient and save money.
The survey also found that only one in five people who received the information said it had any influence on their decision to buy or rent the property. However, when asked what features in a new home were most important to them, apart from price and size, one in seven people said energy efficiency mattered most.
Recent government figures show that carbon emissions coming from Britain's homes are still at almost the same level as 20 years ago, having fallen just 3% between 1990 and 2009. EPCs are vital to the success of the Government's Green Deal, which aims to cut emissions from homes. In future they must help consumers understand how to access the Green Deal and whether a property has a Green Deal loan attached to it. The EPC must be accurate, clear, and be provided before people buy or rent a property.
Comenting, Liz Lainé, energy expert at Consumer Focus, said: “Our survey shows that energy efficiency can influence people when choosing a new home. But the information in the EPC is not helping people act on those concerns. With the Green Deal just around the corner, these certificates must become a trigger for action, not just a sheet at the bottom of a huge pile of home-buying paperwork.
‘Too many landlords and estate agents are getting away with selling and renting properties to people who have no idea how much heat their new home will leak. If prospective buyers and tenants could easily compare how much their energy bills are likely to be in different properties, they could negotiate a price based on their new home's energy efficiency.”
Consumer Focus is calling for the EPC to be changed to make it clearer how much money people can save by carrying out the suggested energy efficiency measures - particularly given the key role of the certificate in Government plans for the Green Deal. Information could also be included to help consumers compare the likely differences in heating bills between homes.
