Which? Slams Home Information Packs (HIPs)

EPC's are in my opinion a massive confidence trick by the Government in order to raise money from house buyers.

As any surveyor will tell you, the vast majority of properties built prior to the 1930's have solid brick walls which are effectively impossible to insulate. All modern premises are built to insulation standards required at the time of construction, and would be extremely difficult, if not impossible, to change. For those properties an EPC is only going to advise the improvements that can realistically be made such as replacement windows, change the boiler, increase loft insulation, use low energy light bulbs etc. and that doesn't need doing every time a property changes hands.

A relatively small percentage of houses have un-insulated cavity walls which can, and should, be insulated, as well as the other measures mentioned above, but again doesn't need doing every time a property is sold.

Every 10 years as the EU requires is perfectly adequate.

The government are insisting on this ridiculous legislation in order to cream off an inspection fee for every single property transaction.

Re EPCs only being needed every ten years - how often does Mr anonymous Surveyor think homes change hands? at around 1m transactions per year and stock around 20m, thats just once every 20 years. The Gov is not as daft as he makes out. And HIPs are good for people buying homes - one point being Estate Agents have to be signed up with an ombedsman. Much overdue regulation in my opinion!

I live in a south coast conurbation.
A majority of my customers for EPCs don't know or understand what a cavity wall is, let alone whether it has been retro filled.
I have filed around 200 EPCs and have only come across a solid wall once, a system build, the rest were cavity.
A majority of my visits unearth a 20-year-old 'reliable' boiler rattling away in the kitchen and immediately wasting 30% of the gas that enters it.
A surprising number of homes do not have room stats. Equally, water cylinders without stats or a jacket of some kind are extremely common.
I have inspected numerous properties with pukka double glazing and either no central heating system at all or a lousy storage heating system - assisted by the ubiquitous portable electrics.
Very few people realise how much heat legs it out of their rads and straight up their nicley tiled 'feature' fieplaces.
So when customers say to me that EPCs are a waste of time, usually accompanied by the statement that 'We're leaving this house anyway' I say 'Yes, but you will be living in another house, so make sure you take into account the findings of the EPC on your new home. And when you see that it has no cavity fill, a skimpy loft insulation spec, an old Potterton coughing its guts up in the kitchen, a cylinder without a stat and two open fireplaces, then you might, just might want to talk about a price adjustment on the buy price or at least be aware that you will be wasting a lot of heat (= money) unless the basics are sorted out as soon as possible.
EPCs have a duty to inform and the power to persuade. Simple, really...

Yes good post.

I am very surprised that you have only come across one solid wall, I suppose it's a matter of geography.