How to check an EPC by postcode

How to search the EPC register

1. Open Find an energy certificate on GOV.UK.
2. Choose the option for a home rather than a business or public building.
3. Enter the postcode. If you know it, you can use the street name and town or the certificate number instead.
4. Pick the address from the list and open the certificate.
5. Download or save a copy if you want to keep it. There is no charge.

For a home in Scotland, use the separate Scottish EPC Register. The GOV.UK service also finds certificates in Northern Ireland, though Doorstep Reports cover England and Wales only.

Check it is the right home

Postcode results can list many similar addresses, so take a moment to confirm the match.

• For flats, check the flat number and building name, and watch for Flat 1 and 1A, or ground floor and first floor.
• Compare the floor area and property type with the listing or floor plan. A big difference can mean the wrong address, or an extension since the assessment.
• If you see more than one certificate, use the most recent. A newer EPC replaces an older one.
• Check the expiry date. An EPC lasts 10 years, and an expired one should be treated as history.

If no certificate appears

A missing result does not tell you anything about the home's efficiency. The usual explanations are simple.

• The home has never been sold or let since EPCs began, so nobody needed one.
• The address is recorded differently. Try the street name and town, or a house name instead of a number.
• The home is newly built or converted, or has been renumbered.
• An owner or occupier has opted out of the public address search. Older government guidance says such certificates can still be found with the report reference number. Reform proposals have suggested removing this option, so the position may change.

If you are buying, ask the seller or agent. They must give a valid EPC to buyers when one is required. If you own the home and need a certificate, use GOV.UK to find an accredited assessor. Prices vary by assessor and property size.

What to look at once you have it

Start with the certificate date, then the current and potential scores. Next, read the description of each part of the building. Lines such as no insulation in the walls or a very old boiler are prompts for questions, not findings about condition.

Then look at the recommendations. Each one usually shows a typical cost, a typical saving and the rating you could reach after completing that step. These figures are estimates and may be years out of date. Our guide to what an EPC is explains what the rating does and does not measure.

An old certificate may not reflect later work. A home with a D from 2017 may since have had a new boiler or insulation, or may have changed in other ways. Ask the seller, and ask to see paperwork for any work they mention.

Checking an EPC with a Doorstep Report

The register is the right place to read a full certificate. If you want the energy record alongside other property research, our EPC check brings it together with sold prices, planning and local data for homes in England and Wales.

Where a certificate matches the address, a report shows the current and potential rating, score, floor area, certificate date and expiry, and the heating and fabric descriptions. Not every home has a matching certificate, and the report does not list the certificate's improvement recommendations, so open the full certificate on GOV.UK for those.

If you are researching a purchase, our guide to what to check before buying a house shows where the EPC fits among the other checks.

Why the same result can look different elsewhere

Property portals and agents often show an EPC graph that can be a copy from when the home was listed. If it differs from the register, trust the most recent certificate on the register. By law, adverts in commercial media should show the rating where one is available, so a listing with no rating is worth asking about. New-style EPCs are planned for the second half of 2027, and existing certificates will stay valid until they expire.