Energy Performance of Buildings Documentation

Guidance

General background

Almost 40% of the UK’s energy consumption and carbon emissions come from the way our buildings are heated and used. Even comparatively small changes in energy performance and the way a building is used will have a significant effect in reducing energy consumption.

The principle underlying the energy performance of buildings is to make the energy efficiency of buildings transparent through the provision of energy certificates and to show how the energy efficiency of the building can be improved.

Regulatory context

The requirement for domestic and non-domestic EPCs and DECs was introduced in stages from 2007. Apart from a few exempted buildings, a building must have an EPC when constructed, sold or let. Larger buildings occupied by a public authority and frequently visited by the public must have an energy certificate (referred to as a Display Energy Certificate (DEC) in England and Wales). Regulatory and administrative amendments made since the requirements came into effect have altered the content, format and accessibility of data lodged on the Energy Performance of Buildings Register (the register) for England and Wales.

The requirement for buildings over 1,000 square meters occupied by public authorities and frequently visited by the public to have a DEC came into effect on 1 October 2008. This size threshold was lowered to buildings over 500 square meters on 9 January 2013. In July 2015 the floor area size threshold was lowered to include buildings over 250 square meters.

Coverage

The department transitioned to a new register service in September 2020. This service now exports the data from a single register. Data is drawn from EPCs issued for domestic and non-domestic buildings constructed, sold or let since 2008. Data from DECs issued for buildings occupied by public authorities also dates to 2008. It provides information on the energy efficiency ratings of domestic and non-domestic buildings during the energy assessment process. This data release includes data for buildings with multiple EPCs or DECs as well as for buildings where only a single energy certificate has been issued. The register does not hold data for every domestic and non-domestic building, or every building occupied by public authorities, in England and Wales. This data should, therefore, not be interpreted as a true representation of the whole of the building stock in England and Wales but be viewed as part of a wider package of Government’s provision of information on the energy efficiency of buildings.

DECs that can be identified as ‘voluntary’, some private sector organisations may choose to have a DEC even though they are not mandated by the regulations, may affect statistical and data outputs. Therefore, ‘voluntary’ DECs are excluded from the published dataset.

Technical notes about the data

Originally, for domestic buildings accredited energy assessors had the option of lodging the underlying data used to produce the energy certificate in addition to the PDF document of the final energy certificate itself. After September 2008, lodging the data became a mandatory requirement. For non-domestic buildings the lodgement of data has always been a mandatory requirement. The department has, therefore, chosen only to publish data from 1 October 2008.

The department has also chosen not to publish any data where:

• the holder of the energy certificate has ‘opted-out’ of disclosure
• energy certificates are excluded on grounds of national security
• energy certificates are marked as ‘cancelled’ or ‘not for issue’
• DECs that can be identified as ‘voluntary’ (some organisations choose to have a DEC produced even though they are not required to do so by the regulations) are also excluded

The department will publish register data every four to six months for new EPCs and DECs or where the status of the EPC or DEC has changed.

Due to third-party intellectual property rights, address level data is published under a copyright and database right information notice which defines the purposes for which the data can be used.

As part of the November 2021 publication, we have allocated UPRNs (Unique Property Reference Numbers) to the data and shall endeavour to release UPRNs as part of future publications. Whilst we have confidence in the UPRNs we release, errors might occur resulting in incorrectly assigned or missing UPRNs. Please read our blog post for more details.

Data quality

Primary responsibility for the robustness of the data in relation to individual buildings lies with the energy assessor who carried out the energy assessment and the energy assessor’s accreditation scheme. Additional validation checks are undertaken as the data is lodged on the register and improved quality assurance procedures for energy assessor accreditation schemes have been introduced.

The data cannot be altered once it has been lodged on the register, although it can be marked at ‘not for issue’ or ‘cancelled’ for a range of reasons by the energy assessor’s accreditation scheme. The data has been published without any changes or alterations.

Users are asked to recognise that there may be anomalies in the published data. In the short term, DLUHC is unable to rectify any anomalies in the existing published datasets. However, we are considering ways in which to correct any anomalies in the long term.

Potential anomalies may include the following:

Issue	Definition
‘INVALID’ fields	Invalid reports are where the value provided is out of bounds, e.g. a negative energy rating of -1199 or a non-integer, there is no valid energy band for this, so it is marked as INVALID!
‘NO DATA!’	When the energy certificate was first lodged on the register there was no requirement to lodge this data item, i.e. a non-mandatory item.
‘N/A’	Input value supplied by the software which has produced the energy certificate.
‘Not recorded’	A value generated by the register to account for a data item that was not mandatory when the lodgement of the energy certificate occurred. When the data item became mandatory the register operator, for backwards compatibility purposes, populated the data field with a value of ‘not recorded’ to ensure that the energy certificate retrieval process is successfully completed. Mandatory data items cannot be applied retrospectively to energy certificates lodged before the date of the change.
Operational Ratings equal to ‘9999’	The data also contains DECs with an operational rating of ‘9999’ (a ‘default’ DEC). The production of a ‘default’ DEC value was allowed to enable building occupiers, with poor quality or no energy data, the opportunity to comply with the regulations. From April 2011 the ability to lodge a ‘default’ DEC was no longer allowed.
‘Blank’ Building Emission Rate	The Building Emission Rate (BER) data field for non-domestic buildings may contain a ‘blank’ value. The BER was only lodged on the register from 7 March 2010.
Data containing the words ‘for backward compatibility only’	Where values in a ‘pick’ list that have been superseded by another value. For example, where a value for ‘pitched roof’ has been replaced by three sub-categories of pitched roof. The original value is retained but ‘for backward compatibility only’ it is appended to ensure that the energy certificate retrieval process can be successfully completed. Replacement data items cannot be applied retrospectively to energy certificates lodged on the register before the date of the change.
Local Authority ‘NULL’ value	There are currently just over 8,600 records where the local authority identifier is ‘null’. This is due to the Register Operator not being able to match the building address in the Markermap Ordinance Survey (GB) lookup tables or OS MasterMap Address Layer 2 data. The majority of these addresses have been requested manually by energy assessors for inclusion by the Register Operator in the registers (e.g. new builds, etc). These records are being published for completeness. An ongoing process to manage these manually added addresses will take time to develop to deal with these and future anomalies.
Multiple field ‘NULL’ values	There are several fields within the lodged data where it is possible to enter multiple entries to cater for different types of build within a single property, i.e. extensions. This results in multiple entries for the description fields for floor, roof and wall. For the purposes of this data release only the information contained within the first of these multiple entries is being provided. As there are no restrictions on the value in this first field it means that sometimes the first field in a multiple entry description field may contain a ‘null’ value. A resolution to correct these anomalies will be considered for future data releases.
Extreme values	Higher than expected values for certain data variables, such as CO2 emissions; current and potential heating costs, may be caused by a combination of anomalous data entries and functionality issues with proprietary software. Although it’s not possible to identify what proportion of extreme values are anomalous, to account for this, data users may wish to apply the ‘median’ when looking at averages in their analysis, as a way of quality assuring the ‘mean’ to account for any extreme values

In spite of these data quality issues, we are publishing this information because we believe it to be of value to the public.

User engagement

Users are encouraged to provide feedback on how this data are used and how well they meet user needs. Comments on any issues relating to this publication are welcomed and encouraged. Comments about the published data and other data enquiries should be sent to: EPC.Enquiry@communities.gov.uk

Any questions about the quality of the data or the reasons for multiple EPCs may be referred to the appropriate accreditation scheme as these issues cannot be resolved by the data publication team.

Glossary of Terms

This section provides provides a mapping between the displayed field name and the COLUMN_NAME in the downloads, along with a description (where available). These are provided in the order they appear in the downloads. The type of each field is listed (DATE, DATETIME2, DECIMAL, INT or VARCHAR) and for VARCHAR fields, the maximum size of the field is given.

Glossary: Domestic EPCs

LMK key LMK_KEY varchar 64: Individual lodgement identifier. Guaranteed to be unique and can be used to identify a certificate in the downloads and the API.
Address 1 ADDRESS1 varchar 84: First line of the address
Address 2 ADDRESS2 varchar 100: Second line of the address
Address 3 ADDRESS3 varchar 100: Third line of the address
Postcode POSTCODE varchar 8: The postcode of the property
Building reference number BUILDING_REFERENCE_NUMBER varchar 12: Unique identifier for the property.
Current energy rating CURRENT_ENERGY_RATING varchar 8: Current energy rating converted into a linear 'A to G' rating (where A is the most energy efficient and G is the least energy efficient)
Potential energy rating POTENTIAL_ENERGY_RATING varchar 8: Estimated potential energy rating converted into a linear 'A to G' rating (where A is the most energy efficient and G is the least energy efficient)
Current energy efficiency CURRENT_ENERGY_EFFICIENCY int: Based on cost of energy, i.e. energy required for space heating, water heating and lighting [in kWh/year] multiplied by fuel costs. (£/m²/year where cost is derived from kWh).
Potential energy efficiency POTENTIAL_ENERGY_EFFICIENCY int: The potential energy efficiency rating of the property.
Property type PROPERTY_TYPE varchar 10: Describes the type of property such as House, Flat, Maisonette etc. This is the type differentiator for dwellings.
Built form BUILT_FORM varchar 20: The building type of the Property e.g. Detached, Semi-Detached, Terrace etc. Together with the Property Type, the Build Form produces a structured description of the property
Inspection date INSPECTION_DATE date: The date that the inspection was actually carried out by the energy assessor
Local authority LOCAL_AUTHORITY varchar 9: Office for National Statistics (ONS) code. Local authority area in which the building is located.
Constituency CONSTITUENCY varchar 9: Office for National Statistics (ONS) code. Parliamentary constituency in which the building is located.
County COUNTY varchar 24: County in which the building is located (where applicable)
Lodgement date LODGEMENT_DATE date: Date lodged on the Energy Performance of Buildings Register
Transaction type TRANSACTION_TYPE varchar 82: Type of transaction that triggered EPC. For example, one of: marketed sale; non-marketed sale; new-dwelling; rental; not sale or rental; assessment for Green Deal; following Green Deal; FIT application; none of the above; RHI application; ECO assessment. Where the reason for the assessment is unknown by the energy assessor the transaction type will be recorded as 'none of the above'. Transaction types may be changed over time.
Environment impact current ENVIRONMENT_IMPACT_CURRENT int: The Environmental Impact Rating. A measure of the property's current impact on the environment in terms of carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions. The higher the rating the lower the CO₂ emissions. (CO₂ emissions in tonnes / year)
Environment impact potential ENVIRONMENT_IMPACT_POTENTIAL int: The potential Environmental Impact Rating. A measure of the property's potential impact on the environment in terms of carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions after improvements have been carried out. The higher the rating the lower the CO₂ emissions. (CO₂ emissions in tonnes / year)
Energy consumption current ENERGY_CONSUMPTION_CURRENT float: Current estimated total energy consumption for the property in a 12 month period (kWh/m2). Displayed on EPC as the current primary energy use per square metre of floor area.
Energy consumption potential ENERGY_CONSUMPTION_POTENTIAL float: Estimated potential total energy consumption for the Property in a 12 month period. Value is Kilowatt Hours per Square Metre (kWh/m²)
Co₂ emissions current CO2_EMISSIONS_CURRENT decimal: CO₂ emissions per year in tonnes/year.
Co₂ emiss curr per floor area CO2_EMISS_CURR_PER_FLOOR_AREA decimal: CO₂ emissions per square metre floor area per year in kg/m²
Co₂ emissions potential CO2_EMISSIONS_POTENTIAL decimal: Estimated value in Tonnes per Year of the total CO₂ emissions produced by the Property in 12 month period.
Lighting cost current LIGHTING_COST_CURRENT float: GBP. Current estimated annual energy costs for lighting the property.
Lighting cost potential LIGHTING_COST_POTENTIAL float: GBP. Potential estimated annual energy costs for lighting the property after improvements have been made.
Heating cost current HEATING_COST_CURRENT float: GBP. Current estimated annual energy costs for heating the property.
Heating cost potential HEATING_COST_POTENTIAL float: GBP. Potential annual energy costs for lighting the property after improvements have been made.
Hot water cost current HOT_WATER_COST_CURRENT float: GBP. Current estimated annual energy costs for hot water
Hot water cost potential HOT_WATER_COST_POTENTIAL float: GBP. Potential estimated annual energy costs for hot water after improvements have been made.
Total floor area TOTAL_FLOOR_AREA decimal: The total useful floor area is the total of all enclosed spaces measured to the internal face of the external walls, i.e. the gross floor area as measured in accordance with the guidance issued from time to time by the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors or by a body replacing that institution. (m²)
Energy tariff ENERGY_TARIFF varchar 16: Type of electricity tariff for the property, e.g. single.
Mains gas flag MAINS_GAS_FLAG varchar 1: Whether mains gas is available. Yes means that there is a gas meter or a gas-burning appliance in the dwelling. A closed-off gas pipe does not count.
Floor level FLOOR_LEVEL varchar 13: Flats and maisonettes only. Floor level relative to the lowest level of the property (0 for ground floor). If there is a basement, the basement is level 0 and the other floors are from 1 upwards
Flat top storey FLAT_TOP_STOREY varchar 1: Whether the flat is on the top storey
Flat storey count FLAT_STOREY_COUNT int: The number of storeys in the apartment block.
Main heating controls MAIN_HEATING_CONTROLS varchar 19: Type of main heating controls. Includes both main heating systems if there are two.
Multi glaze proportion MULTI_GLAZE_PROPORTION float: The estimated banded range (e.g. 0% - 10%) of the total glazed area of the Property that is multiple glazed.
Glazed type GLAZED_TYPE varchar 45: The type of glazing. From British Fenestration Rating Council or manufacturer declaration, one of; single; double; triple.
Glazed area GLAZED_AREA varchar 22: Ranged estimate of the total glazed area of the Habitable Area.
Extension count EXTENSION_COUNT float: The number of extensions added to the property. Between 0 and 4.
Number habitable rooms NUMBER_HABITABLE_ROOMS float: Habitable rooms include any living room, sitting room, dining room, bedroom, study and similar; and also a non-separated conservatory. A kitchen/diner having a discrete seating area (with space for a table and four chairs) also counts as a habitable room. A non-separated conservatory adds to the habitable room count if it has an internal quality door between it and the dwelling. Excluded from the room count are any room used solely as a kitchen, utility room, bathroom, cloakroom, en-suite accommodation and similar and any hallway, stairs or landing; and also any room not having a window.
Number heated rooms NUMBER_HEATED_ROOMS float: The number of heated rooms in the property if more than half of the habitable rooms are not heated.
Low energy lighting LOW_ENERGY_LIGHTING int: The percentage of low energy lighting present in the property as a percentage of the total fixed lights in the property. 0% indicates that no low-energy lighting is present.
Number open fireplaces NUMBER_OPEN_FIREPLACES int: The number of Open Fireplaces in the Property. An Open Fireplace is a fireplace that still allows air to pass between the inside of the Property and the outside.
Hotwater description HOTWATER_DESCRIPTION varchar 95: Overall description of the property feature
Hot water energy eff HOT_WATER_ENERGY_EFF varchar 9: Energy efficiency rating. One of: very good; good; average; poor; very poor. On actual energy certificate shown as one to five star rating.
Hot water env eff HOT_WATER_ENV_EFF varchar 9: Environmental efficiency rating. One of: very good; good; average; poor; very poor. On actual energy certificate shown as one to five star rating.
Floor description FLOOR_DESCRIPTION varchar 91: Overall description of the property feature
Floor energy eff FLOOR_ENERGY_EFF varchar 9: Energy efficiency rating. One of: very good; good; average; poor; very poor. On actual energy certificate shown as one to five star rating.
Floor env eff FLOOR_ENV_EFF varchar 9: Environmental efficiency rating. One of: very good; good; average; poor; very poor. On actual energy certificate shown as one to five star rating.
Windows description WINDOWS_DESCRIPTION varchar 54: Overall description of the property feature
Windows energy eff WINDOWS_ENERGY_EFF varchar 9: Energy efficiency rating. One of: very good; good; average; poor; very poor. On actual energy certificate shown as one to five star rating.
Windows env eff WINDOWS_ENV_EFF varchar 9: WINDOWS. Environmental efficiency rating. One of: very good; good; average; poor; very poor. On actual energy certificate shown as one to five star rating.
Walls description WALLS_DESCRIPTION varchar 121: Overall description of the property feature
Walls energy eff WALLS_ENERGY_EFF varchar 9: Energy efficiency rating. One of: very good; good; average; poor; very poor. On actual energy certificate shown as one to five star rating.
Walls env eff WALLS_ENV_EFF varchar 9: Environmental efficiency rating. One of: very good; good; average; poor; very poor. On actual energy certificate shown as one to five star rating.
Secondheat description SECONDHEAT_DESCRIPTION varchar 97: Overall description of the property feature
Sheating energy eff SHEATING_ENERGY_EFF varchar 9: Energy efficiency rating. One of: very good; good; average; poor; very poor. On actual energy certificate shown as one to five star rating.
Sheating env eff SHEATING_ENV_EFF varchar 9: Environmental efficiency rating. One of: very good; good; average; poor; very poor. On actual energy certificate shown as one to five star rating.
Roof description ROOF_DESCRIPTION varchar 92: Overall description of the property feature
Roof energy eff ROOF_ENERGY_EFF varchar 9: Energy efficiency rating. One of: very good; good; average; poor; very poor. On actual energy certificate shown as one to five star rating.
Roof env eff ROOF_ENV_EFF varchar 9: Environmental efficiency rating. One of: very good; good; average; poor; very poor. On actual energy certificate shown as one to five star rating.
Mainheat description MAINHEAT_DESCRIPTION varchar 140: Overall description of the property feature
Mainheat energy eff MAINHEAT_ENERGY_EFF varchar 9: Energy efficiency rating. One of: very good; good; average; poor; very poor. On actual energy certificate shown as one to five star rating.
Mainheat env eff MAINHEAT_ENV_EFF varchar 9: Environmental efficiency rating. One of: very good; good; average; poor; very poor. On actual energy certificate shown as one to five star rating.
Mainheatcont description MAINHEATCONT_DESCRIPTION varchar 96: Overall description of the property feature
Mainheatc energy eff MAINHEATC_ENERGY_EFF varchar 9: Energy efficiency rating. One of: very good; good; average; poor; very poor. On actual energy certificate shown as one to five star rating.
Mainheatc env eff MAINHEATC_ENV_EFF varchar 9: Environmental efficiency rating. One of: very good; good; average; poor; very poor. On actual energy certificate shown as one to five star rating.
Lighting description LIGHTING_DESCRIPTION varchar 91: Overall description of property feature. Total number of fixed lighting outlets and total number of low-energy fixed lighting outlets
Lighting energy eff LIGHTING_ENERGY_EFF varchar 9: Energy efficiency rating. One of: very good; good; average; poor; very poor. On actual energy certificate shown as one to five star rating.
Lighting env eff LIGHTING_ENV_EFF varchar 9: Environmental efficiency rating. One of: very good; good; average; poor; very poor. On actual energy certificate shown as one to five star rating.
Main fuel MAIN_FUEL varchar 93: The type of fuel used to power the central heating e.g. Gas, Electricity
Wind turbine count WIND_TURBINE_COUNT float: Number of wind turbines; 0 if none.
Heat loss corridor HEAT_LOSS_CORRIDOR varchar 17: Flats and maisonettes only. Indicates that the flat contains a corridor through which heat is lost. Heat loss corridor, one of: no corridor; heated corridor; unheated corridor
Unheated corridor length UNHEATED_CORRIDOR_LENGTH decimal: The total length of unheated corridor in the flat. Only populated if flat or maisonette contains unheated corridor. If unheated corridor, length of sheltered wall (m²).
Floor height FLOOR_HEIGHT decimal: Average height of the storey in metres.
Photo supply PHOTO_SUPPLY float: Percentage of photovoltaic area as a percentage of total roof area. 0% indicates that a Photovoltaic Supply is not present in the property.
Solar water heating flag SOLAR_WATER_HEATING_FLAG varchar 1: Indicates whether the heating in the Property is solar powered.
Mechanical ventilation MECHANICAL_VENTILATION varchar 30: Identifies the type of mechanical ventilation the property has. This is required for the RdSAP calculation.
Address ADDRESS: Field containing the concatenation of address1, address2 and address3. Note that post code is recorded separately.
Local authority name LOCAL_AUTHORITY_LABEL: The name of the local authority area in which the building is located. This field is for additional information only and should not be relied upon: please refer to the Local Authority ONS Code.
Constituency name CONSTITUENCY_LABEL: The name of the parliamentary constituency in which the building is located. This field is for additional information only and should not be relied upon: please refer to the Constituency ONS Code.
Post town POSTTOWN varchar 37: The post town of the property
Construction age band CONSTRUCTION_AGE_BAND varchar 31: Age band when building part constructed. England & Wales only. One of: before 1900; 1900-1929; 1930-1949; 1950-1966; 1967-1975; 1976-1982; 1983-1990; 1991-1995; 1996-2002; 2003-2006; 2007-2011; 2012 onwards.
Lodgement datetime LODGEMENT_DATETIME datetime2: Date and time lodged on the Energy Performance of Buildings Register.
Tenure TENURE varchar 100: Describes the tenure type of the property. One of: Owner-occupied; Rented (social); Rented (private).
Fixed lighting outlets count FIXED_LIGHTING_OUTLETS_COUNT float: The number of fixed lighting outlets.
Low energy fixed lighting outlets count LOW_ENERGY_FIXED_LIGHT_COUNT float: The number of low-energy fixed lighting outlets.
UPRN UPRN int: The UPRN submitted by an assessor or alternatively from the department’s address matching algorithm.
UPRN source UPRN_SOURCE varchar 15: Populated with the values "Energy Assessor" or "Address Matched" to show how the UPRN was populated.

Glossary: Domestic EPC Recommendations

LMK key LMK_KEY varchar 64: Individual lodgement identifier. Guaranteed to be unique and can be used to identify a certificate in the downloads and the API.
Improvement item IMPROVEMENT_ITEM int: Used to order the recommendations on the output EPC.
Improvement summary text IMPROVEMENT_SUMMARY_TEXT varchar 63: A short description of the suggested improvement.
Improvement description text IMPROVEMENT_DESCR_TEXT varchar 1142: Detailed description of the suggested improvement.
Improvement ID IMPROVEMENT_ID int: Code number associated with the improvement measure.
Improvement ID text IMPROVEMENT_ID_TEXT varchar 63: The text associated with the improvement measure.
Indicative cost INDICATIVE_COST varchar 38: The indicative costs are the cost of installed recommendation measures, which are fixed no matter the type of house being assessed. These are displayed as a cost range on the Energy Performance Certificate as costs vary between individual suppliers.

Glossary: Non Domestic EPCs

LMK key LMK_KEY varchar 64: Individual lodgement identifier. Guaranteed to be unique and can be used to identify a certificate in the downloads and the API.
Address1 ADDRESS1 varchar 150: Address Line 1
Address2 ADDRESS2 varchar 104: Address Line 2
Address3 ADDRESS3 varchar 91: Address Line 3
Postcode POSTCODE varchar 8: Postcode for the building address
Building reference number BUILDING_REFERENCE_NUMBER varchar 12: Unique identifier for the property.
Asset rating ASSET_RATING int: Energy Performance Asset Rating. The CO₂ emissions from the actual building in comparison to a Standard Emission Rate. (kg CO₂/m²)
Asset rating band ASSET_RATING_BAND varchar 8: Energy Performance Asset Rating converted into an energy band/grade into a linear 'A+ to G' scale (where A+ is the most energy efficient and G the least energy efficient)
Property type PROPERTY_TYPE varchar 76: Describes the type of building that is being inspected. Based on planning use class.
Inspection date INSPECTION_DATE date: The date that the inspection was actually carried out by the energy assessor.
Local authority LOCAL_AUTHORITY varchar 9: Office for National Statistics (ONS) code. Local authority area in which the building is located.
Constituency CONSTITUENCY varchar 9: Office for National Statistics (ONS) code. Parliamentary constituency in which the building is located.
County COUNTY varchar 44: County in which the building is located (where applicable)
Lodgement date LODGEMENT_DATE date: Date lodged on the Energy Performance of Buildings Register
Transaction type TRANSACTION_TYPE varchar 51: Type of transaction that triggered EPC. One of: mandatory issue (marketed sale); mandatory issue (non-marketed sale); mandatory issue (property on construction); mandatory issue (property to let); voluntary re-issue (a valid epc is already lodged); voluntary (no legal requirement for an epc); not recorded. Transaction types may be changed over time.
New build benchmark NEW_BUILD_BENCHMARK varchar 6
Existing stock benchmark EXISTING_STOCK_BENCHMARK varchar 5: The Benchmark value of existing stock for this type of building
Building level BUILDING_LEVEL varchar 1: Building Complexity Level based on Energy Assessor National Occupation Standards.
Main heating fuel MAIN_HEATING_FUEL varchar 37: Main Heating fuel for the building is taken as the fuel which delivers the greatest total thermal output for space or water heating.
Other fuel desc OTHER_FUEL_DESC varchar null: Text description of unspecified fuel type if 'Other' is selected for Main Heating Fuel.
Special energy uses SPECIAL_ENERGY_USES varchar null: Special energy uses discounted. This only appears on the Recommendations Report.
Renewable sources RENEWABLE_SOURCES varchar null: On-site renewable energy sources. This only appears on the Advisory Report.
Floor area FLOOR_AREA int: The total useful floor area is the total of all enclosed spaces measured to the internal face of the external walls, i.e. the gross floor area as measured in accordance with the guidance issued from time to time by the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors or by a body replacing that institution. (m2)
Standard emissions STANDARD_EMISSIONS decimal: Standard Emission Rate is determined by applying a fixed improvement factor to the emissions from a reference building. (kg CO₂/m²/year).
Target emissions TARGET_EMISSIONS decimal: The target emission rate is the minimum energy performance requirement (required by Building Regulation) for a new non- domestic building (kg CO₂/m²/year).
Typical emissions TYPICAL_EMISSIONS decimal: Typical Emission Rate.
Building emissions BUILDING_EMISSIONS decimal: Building Emissions Rate. Annual CO₂ emissions from the building. Decimal (kg CO₂/m²)
Aircon present AIRCON_PRESENT varchar 3: Air Conditioning System. Does the building have an air conditioning system?
Aircon kw rating AIRCON_KW_RATING int: Air conditioning System. Rating in kW
Estimated aircon kw rating ESTIMATED_AIRCON_KW_RATING int: Air Conditioning System. If exact rating unknown, what is the estimated total effective output rating of the air conditioning system
Ac inspection commissioned AC_INSPECTION_COMMISSIONED varchar 1: One of:1=Yes, inspection completed; 2=Yes, inspection commissioned; 3=No inspection completed or commissioned; 4=Not relevant; 5=Don't know
Building environment BUILDING_ENVIRONMENT varchar 38: Building environment which is taken as the servicing strategy that contributes the largest proportion of the building's CO₂ emissions.
Address ADDRESS: Field containing the concatenation of address1, address2 and address3. Note that post code is recorded separately.
Local authority label LOCAL_AUTHORITY_LABEL: The name of the local authority area in which the building is located. This field is for additional information only and should not be relied upon: please refer to the Local Authority ONS Code.
Constituency label CONSTITUENCY_LABEL: The name of the parliamentary constituency in which the building is located. This field is for additional information only and should not be relied upon: please refer to the Constituency ONS Code.
Post town POSTTOWN varchar 50: Post town for the building address.
Lodgement datetime LODGEMENT_DATETIME datetime2: Date and time lodged on the Energy Performance of Buildings Register.
Primary energy PRIMARY_ENERGY_VALUE int: Displayed on the non-domestic EPC as primary energy use (kWh/m2 per year)
UPRN UPRN int: The UPRN submitted by an assessor or alternatively from the department’s address matching algorithm.
UPRN source UPRN_SOURCE varchar 15: Populated with the values "Energy Assessor" or "Address Matched" to show how the UPRN was populated.

Glossary: Non-Domestic EPC Recommendations

LMK key LMK_KEY varchar 64: Individual lodgement identifier. Guaranteed to be unique and can be used to identify a certificate in the downloads and the API.
Recommendation item RECOMMENDATION_ITEM int: Used to order the recommendations on the output EPC.
Recommendation code RECOMMENDATION_CODE varchar null: Shorthand code to represent the recommendation.
Recommendation RECOMMENDATION varchar null: Description of the suggested improvement.
CO2 impact CO2_IMPACT varchar null: Catergorical descriptor defining the impact on CO₂ emissions (e.g. LOW).

Glossary: Display Energy Certificates (DECs)

LMK key LMK_KEY varchar 64: Individual lodgement identifier. Guaranteed to be unique and can be used to identify a certificate in the downloads and the API.
Address1 ADDRESS1 varchar 100: Address Line 1
Address2 ADDRESS2 varchar 94: Address Line 2
Address3 ADDRESS3 varchar 87: Address Line 3
Postcode POSTCODE varchar 8: Postcode for the building address
Building reference number BUILDING_REFERENCE_NUMBER varchar 12: Unique identifier for the property.
Current operational rating CURRENT_OPERATIONAL_RATING float: Current Operational Rating (OR) for this building. A numeric indicator of the amount of energy consumed during the occupation of the building over a period of 12 months. An OR is a measure of the annual (CO₂) emission per unit of area of the building caused by its consumption of energy, compared to a value that would be considered typical for the particular type of building. The numbers do not represent actual units of energy consumed; they represent comparative energy efficiency.
Yr1 operational rating YR1_OPERATIONAL_RATING float: Operational Ratings from previous years (CO₂).
Yr2 operational rating YR2_OPERATIONAL_RATING float: Operational Ratings from previous years (CO₂).
Operational rating band OPERATIONAL_RATING_BAND varchar 8: Current Operational Rating converted into an energy band/grade into a linear 'A to G' scale (where A is the most energy efficient and G the least energy efficient).
Electric CO₂ ELECTRIC_CO2 float: Total CO₂ emissions from electricity. The energy used by the building is converted into an amount of carbon dioxide (CO₂). Different types of fuel emit different amounts of CO₂. Total CO₂ emissions in tonnes per year of CO₂.
Heating CO₂ HEATING_CO2 float: Total CO₂ emissions from heating. The energy used by the building is converted into an amount of carbon dioxide (CO₂). Different types of fuel emit different amounts of CO₂. Total CO₂ emissions in tonnes per year of CO₂.
Renewables CO₂ RENEWABLES_CO2 float: Total CO₂ emissions from Renewable sources. On-Site Renewables (OSR) include technologies that generate heat or electricity from ambient sources and have zero (or near zero) CO₂ emissions. The energy they deliver reduces CO₂ emissions from the building.
Property type PROPERTY_TYPE varchar 1510: Describes the type of building that is being inspected.
Inspection date INSPECTION_DATE date: The date that the inspection was actually carried out by the energy assessor
Local authority LOCAL_AUTHORITY varchar 9: Office for National Statistics (ONS) code. Local authority area in which the building is located.
Constituency CONSTITUENCY varchar 9: Office for National Statistics (ONS) code. Parliamentary constituency in which the building is located.
County COUNTY varchar 44: County in which the building is located (where applicable)
Lodgement date LODGEMENT_DATE date: Date lodged on the Energy Performance of Buildings Register
Main benchmark MAIN_BENCHMARK varchar 39: The benchmark is the average energy performance for a building of this type, under a number of standardised conditions for temperature, occupancy and proportion of non-electrical energy used. Under certain circumstances, these benchmarks may be adjusted according to location, occupancy and the ratio of non-electrical energy used.
Main heating fuel MAIN_HEATING_FUEL varchar 26: This indicates the main type of fuel used to heat the building.
Other fuel OTHER_FUEL varchar 0: Text description of unspecified fuel type if 'Other' is selected for Main-Heating-Fuel.
Special energy uses SPECIAL_ENERGY_USES varchar 248: Separable energy uses. The aim of the Operational Rating is to compare the annual energy consumption of the building with that of a building typical of its type. In some cases the building may include activities that consume energy and which are not considered typical of that building type. It may be reasonable to subtract these separable energy uses in certain circumstances. In order to be able to isolate and remove the annual separable energy consumption from the total, any separable energy uses must be separately metered. This only appears on the Recommendations Report.
Renewable sources RENEWABLE_SOURCES varchar 312: On-site renewable energy sources. This only appears on the Recommendations Report.
Total floor area TOTAL_FLOOR_AREA int: Total Useful Floor Area (m²)
Annual thermal fuel usage ANNUAL_THERMAL_FUEL_USAGE int: Annual Energy Use (kWh/m²/year) for heating
Typical thermal fuel usage TYPICAL_THERMAL_FUEL_USAGE int: Typical Energy Use (kWh/m²/year) for heating
Annual electrical fuel usage ANNUAL_ELECTRICAL_FUEL_USAGE int: Annual Energy Use (kWh/m²/year) for electricity
Typical electrical fuel usage TYPICAL_ELECTRICAL_FUEL_USAGE int: Typical Energy Use (kWh/m²/year) for electricity
Renewables fuel thermal RENEWABLES_FUEL_THERMAL: Percentage of energy obtained from on-site renewable sources for heating (if any)
Renewables electrical RENEWABLES_ELECTRICAL float: Percentage of energy obtained from on-site renewable sources for electricity (if any).
Yr1 electricity CO₂ YR1_ELECTRICITY_CO2 float: CO₂ emissions from electricity in previous reporting year (if any). Total CO₂ emissions in tonnes per year of CO₂.
Yr2 electricity CO₂ YR2_ELECTRICITY_CO2 float: CO₂ emissions from electricity in previous reporting year (if any). Total CO₂ emissions in tonnes per year of CO₂.
Yr1 heating CO₂ YR1_HEATING_CO2 float: CO₂ emissions from heating in previous reporting year (if any). Total CO₂ emissions in tonnes per year of CO₂.
Yr2 heating CO₂ YR2_HEATING_CO2 float: CO₂ emissions from heating in previous reporting year (if any). Total CO₂ emissions in tonnes per year of CO₂.
Yr1 renewables CO₂ YR1_RENEWABLES_CO2 float: CO₂ emissions from renewable sources in previous reporting year (if any). Total CO₂ emissions in tonnes per year of CO₂.
Yr2 renewables CO₂ YR2_RENEWABLES_CO2 float: CO₂ emissions from renewable sources in previous reporting year (if any). Total CO₂ emissions in tonnes per year of CO₂.
Aircon present AIRCON_PRESENT varchar 3: Air Conditioning System. Does the building have an air conditioning system?
Aircon kw rating AIRCON_KW_RATING float: Air conditioning System. Rating in kW
Estimated aircon kw rating ESTIMATED_AIRCON_KW_RATING float: Air Conditioning System. If exact rating unknown, what is the estimated total effective output rating of the air conditioning system in kW.
Ac inspection commissioned AC_INSPECTION_COMMISSIONED varchar 1: One of:1=Yes, inspection completed; 2=Yes, inspection commissioned; 3=No inspection completed or commissioned; 4=Not relevant; 5=Don't know
Building environment BUILDING_ENVIRONMENT varchar 38: Building environment which is taken as the servicing strategy that contributes the largest proportion of the building's CO2 emissions.
Building category BUILDING_CATEGORY varchar 275: Building category codes (described below). This data field may contain multiple benchmark categories. Where a building has a mix of uses that would place parts of the building in a different benchmark category, it is possible to construct a composite benchmark, e.g. a school with a swimming pool.
Address ADDRESS: Field containing the concatenation of address1, address2 and address3. Note that post code is recorded separately.
Local authority label LOCAL_AUTHORITY_LABEL: The name of the local authority area in which the building is located. This field is for additional information only and should not be relied upon: please refer to the Local Authority ONS Code.
Constituency label CONSTITUENCY_LABEL: The name of the parliamentary constituency in which the building is located. This field is for additional information only and should not be relied upon: please refer to the Constituency ONS Code.
Post town POSTTOWN varchar 24: Post town for the building address.
Nominated date NOMINATED_DATE date: The default nominated date is the assessment date. The assessor can select an alternative nominated date no later than three months after the end of the assessment period.
Or assessment end date OR_ASSESSMENT_END_DATE date: Specified end date of the assessment period.
Lodgement datetime LODGEMENT_DATETIME datetime2: Date and time lodged on the Energy Performance of Buildings Register.
Occupancy level OCCUPANCY_LEVEL varchar 18: Occupancy during the hours of operation of the building.
UPRN UPRN int: The UPRN submitted by an assessor or alternatively from the department’s address matching algorithm.
UPRN source UPRN_SOURCE varchar 15: Populated with the values "Energy Assessor" or "Address Matched" to show how the UPRN was populated.

Glossary: Display EPC Recommendations

LMK key LMK_KEY varchar 64: Individual lodgement identifier. Guaranteed to be unique and can be used to identify a certificate in the downloads and the API.
Recommendation item RECOMMENDATION_ITEM int: Used to order the recommendations on the output EPC.
Recommendation code RECOMMENDATION_CODE varchar null: Shorthand code to represent the recommendation.
Recommendation RECOMMENDATION varchar null: Description of the suggested improvement.
CO2 impact CO2_IMPACT varchar null: Catergorical descriptor defining the impact on CO₂ emissions (e.g. LOW).

Frequently Asked Questions

Why doesn't DLUHC publish the certificate number?

The certificate number enables access to underlying information DLUHC is not authorised to disclose. To do so, would mean DLUHC would be in contravention of its own regulations.

The data available contains personal information covered by the Data Protection Act 2018 and the General Data Protection Regulation, as well as data under a restrictive licence. DLUHC is required to confirm that users have understood and agreed to these, as well as collecting the details of those who have requested access.

How can I use the data?

The guidance notes provide some background on this data release. If you're a software developer, we have an API for accessing the data programmatically.

Why don't I have a password?

Once you've signed up, each time you use the site thereafter, you can just enter your email address to receive a link which will provide you with a session in the application. We didn't want to ask users to have to remember yet another password, so we opted for a password-free approach.

Why can't I search by property type on Display Energy Certificates (DECs)?

For Display Energy Certificates, the property type field contains a wide variety of data, which makes it difficult to provide a user-friendly search widget.

What are the licence and copyright restrictions on the data?

The details of the licence and copyright for the data are covered in the licence & copyright page.

Why are you publishing personal data?

The department appreciates the value of information about the energy performance of buildings to researchers, local authorities and environmental organisations and believes it is in the public interest to make this information available. The department has carefully considered the privacy risk and will keep the data privacy impact assessment under review.

Your information is collected during the user registration process and will be held in accordance with the Privacy Policy notice. It will not be disclosed to any third party except where we may be required to share information with Royal Mail in relation to the licensing conditions.

Can you give me some advice on what I'm allowed to do with the data?

The Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities (DLUHC) cannot provide legal advice. Therefore, it is important to read the information in the Data Protection Act 2018, the General Data Protection Regulation and the copyright and database right information notice. It will be for individuals themselves to take a view on how they are able to use the data and in cases of doubt should seek their own legal advice. Please note that this data contains personal data. If processing falls within the scope of the General Data Protection Regulation, or the Data Protection Act 2018, you will become a data controller and must comply with the data protection legislation.

What can I do if I suspect someone has misused my personal data?

Anyone who suspects that personal data has been misused, for example you may have been the recipient of unwanted direct marketing, should report their concerns to DLUHC and to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO).

How do I associate a certificate with its recommendations in the downloads?

DLUHC provides a field called LMK_KEY which they use to identify the certificates, and to associate recommendations with their certificates. These are used in the URLs of this application, the downloads and API. We have made changes to the data and API which will result in a unique LMK KEY. You can read more about the changes here.

How do I uniquely identify a certificate?

We have made changes to the data and API which will result in a unique LMK KEY. You can read more about the changes here.

How often will the data be published?

Our intention is to update data monthly, typically during the final working week of each month. Please note that there may be instances where this isn't possible due to issues beyond our control.

Why does some data look incorrect or missing?

This service republishes the data as supplied by DLUHC. The data on this site is refreshed periodically, and EPC holders can opt out of having their data published.

Where can I opt out my EPC?

Holders of EPCs may opt-out by contacting the helpdesk: email: mhclg.digital-services@communities.gov.uk or phone: 020 3829 0748. Requests to opt-out on the register will be processed as soon as possible. However, in respect of the data on this site your EPC can only be opted-out from a future data release, which are expected to be updated monthly.

Where can I find more information about opt out?

The EPC opt-out of public disclosure guidance provides more information.

Why are the search results sometimes limited?

We've pre-prepared downloads of the full register, and for individual authorities, but all other requests are served dynamically by our database and application. We've chosen to limit the size of dynamic queries to help us maintain a stable and responsive service. If you need to retrieve more than our limit, we suggest you download the entire register and filter the results offline in your software of choice.

Is it possible to download certificates for a single local authority?

Yes. As the full register (especially for domestic EPCs) is very large, we've pre-prepared downloads of the certificate data by each local authority. If you filter by local authority only, the results download will contain the full set of certificates for that authority.

What changes have you made to the API?

We have removed the CERTIFICATE_HASH field in favour of using a new set of LMK_KEYs to uniquely identify certificates. Please read our blog post for more details.

Will some buildings have more than one EPC?

A building may have more than one EPC for valid reasons.

Why isn’t the most recent EPC being published for each building?

It has been decided to publish all EPCs for the same building to enable data users to easily identify improved energy efficiency trends. It will also enable data users to identify unusual lodgement patterns.

Why aren’t multiple EPCs removed from the register?

The regulations do not permit the department or the register operator to remove data that has been lodged on the registers.

What action is being taken to reduce the number of multiple EPCs?

Energy assessors and the energy assessor’s accreditation scheme are responsible for reducing the number of multiple EPCs. We will work with energy assessor accreditation schemes to identify why some buildings have multiple EPCs and, where an error has been identified, to mark the EPCs as ‘not for issue’ or ‘cancelled’.

Do all public authority buildings require a DEC?

No, a DEC is only required for buildings occupied by public authorities over 250 square meters where that building is frequently visited by the public.

Does the DEC dataset include ‘voluntary’ DECs?

What is the Unique Property Reference Number (UPRN)?

As part of the November 2021 publication, we have allocated UPRNs (Unique Property Reference Numbers) to the data. This should allow users to easily cross-reference between different data sets and aid in data linking. Please read our blog post for more details, or alternatively GeoPlace and Ordnance Survey set out a comprehensive background to the creation, governance and use of UPRNs on their websites.