The energy efficiency of Mid Devon buildings has improved over the last ten years from an average rating of 58 at a rating of 64. During the same time, buildings in England have improved from 62 to almost 67. Local Energy Advice Partnerships can give you free impartial advice about the best methods to upgrade your home insulation. They will also be able to tell you if you are eligible for any grants for home improvements. The LEAP partner for Mid Devon is Exeter Community Energy who run Healthy Homes Clinics. During lockdown these clinics are available online.
https://www.ecoe.org.uk/healthy-homes-clinic-information/
An Energy Performance of Buildings Certificate (EPC) is intended to provide prospective buyers and tenants of a building with correct information about the energy performance of the building and practical advice on improving such performance.
An EPC provides an energy efficiency rating (related to running costs) for a building based on the performance potential of the building itself (the fabric) and its services (such as heating, insulation ventilation and fuels used). Not all buildings are used in the same way, so the energy rating uses 'standard occupancy' assumptions which may be different from the way the building is used.
An EPC includes recommendations on how the energy performance of the building can be improved (to reduce running costs) together with an indication of the payback period. There is no statutory requirement to carry out any of the recommended energy efficiency measures stated.
Find an energy certificate Use this service to find energy certificates and recommendation reports for properties in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.
https://find-energy-certificate.digital.communities.gov.uk/
Properties can be rented if they have an energy rating from A to E.
If the property is rated F or G, it cannot be let, unless an exemption has been registered. You can read guidance for landlords on the regulations and exemptions.
Each year 23,000 to 53,000 EPCs are issued to new and existing houses in Devon, Plymouth and Torbay (source: gov.uk). There are approximately 581,000 homes in Devon (source: Devon Carbon Plan, below)
https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/energy-performance-of-buildings-certificates
Average ratings of new EPCs issued in each year.
| England | Devon | Exeter | Plymouth | East Devon | North Devon | Mid Devon | Teign-bridge | Torbay | South Hams | Torridge | West Devon | |
| 62.22 | 59.58 | 2009 | 63.84 | 63.42 | 57.66 | 55.96 | 58.23 | 58.40 | 58.53 | 54.27 | 57.75 | 57.60 |
| 62.28 | 59.49 | 2010 | 63.64 | 62.74 | 57.48 | 58.07 | 57.73 | 59.04 | 59.44 | 54.08 | 56.54 | 58.36 |
| 62.72 | 60.29 | 2011 | 65.36 | 63.21 | 59.89 | 59.54 | 58.75 | 59.77 | 60.27 | 56.69 | 56.05 | 56.75 |
| 63.66 | 62.03 | 2012 | 65.70 | 64.70 | 62.08 | 59.35 | 63.02 | 62.15 | 60.60 | 59.67 | 58.84 | 57.81 |
| 62.20 | 61.89 | 2013 | 64.74 | 62.12 | 63.80 | 60.51 | 62.24 | 62.90 | 60.70 | 60.21 | 58.75 | 58.63 |
| 61.55 | 61.14 | 2014 | 64.37 | 65.32 | 61.84 | 57.43 | 58.38 | 60.76 | 59.98 | 57.45 | 56.23 | 54.21 |
| 62.32 | 62.42 | 2015 | 66.19 | 66.95 | 63.14 | 57.91 | 57.14 | 61.60 | 60.96 | 57.30 | 57.29 | 52.39 |
| 62.62 | 61.47 | 2016 | 67.93 | 64.05 | 63.27 | 60.49 | 57.90 | 62.35 | 61.29 | 57.66 | 53.58 | 53.03 |
| 65.41 | 63.60 | 2017 | 68.69 | 66.31 | 65.06 | 62.78 | 63.32 | 64.40 | 62.19 | 59.88 | 56.28 | 55.85 |
| 66.11 | 64.21 | 2018 | 68.40 | 66.84 | 65.56 | 63.31 | 63.94 | 62.95 | 62.75 | 61.25 | 60.40 | 56.80 |
| 66.82 | 64.17 | 2019 | 69.00 | 65.41 | 64.76 | 64.27 | 64.02 | 63.55 | 63.28 | 61.30 | 60.38 | 59.39 |
Devon Carbon Plan: 9. Built Environment Making our existing and future buildings Net-Zero, comfortable, health and affordable to run.
Buildings and amenity lighting in outdoor spaces produced 42% of Devon’s greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in 2018, shared almost equally between residential and commercial/industrial buildings. The burning of fossil fuels for space and water heating and manufacturing processes, are responsible for 28% Devon’s emissions. The remaining 14% are from the consumption of grid-supplied electricity.
Government’s interim target declared in the Clean Growth Strategy is for as many houses as possible to be band C by 2035. In Devon this means upgrading 66% of our homes (383,000) with multiple measures over the next 15 years, which is 25,500 homes per year. For context, this is five times faster than the single measure of cavity wall insulation is currently being installed in Devon’s homes.
Ultimately, we need to go well beyond the Government’s target and expect every home to undergo a deep retrofit to achieve as close to Band A as possible. The full technical potential of conventional energy efficiency measures can achieve a 53% energy reduction per dwelling by 2035. To reach Band A will require the use of new technology using offsite prefabrication techniques that provide a bespoke retrofit for each home.
https://www.devonclimateemergency.org.uk/interimcarbonplan/?cat_id=2461&subsection=9_1
GreenSpec Green building design & products for sustainable construction
GreenSpec is the foremost ‘Green Building’ resource in the UK. Independent of companies and trade bodies and launched in 2003 with government funding, GreenSpec promotes sustainable building products, materials and construction techniques. GreenSpec is edited by practising architects and specifiers - ensuring that the content and communication style is responsive to the needs of both design professionals and the self-build audience.
