Getting a Victorian terraced house to EPC C

Why this type behaves the way it does

• Solid brick walls (no cavity to fill)
• Suspended timber ground floors
• Original single-glazed sash windows
• Often a gas combi or older boiler

Measures that typically reach C

Loft insulation

Topping up loft insulation to the recommended 270mm is usually the cheapest high-impact improvement, because a quarter of a home’s heat can escape through the roof. It’s quick to install in an accessible loft, rarely needs consent, and the SAP uplift per pound spent is among the best of any measure — which is why it’s almost always the first recommendation on an EPC.

Solid wall insulation

Pre-1920s homes typically have solid walls with no cavity to fill, so insulation is added either internally (insulated boards on the inside of external walls) or externally (an insulated render system). It delivers the largest single improvement for these properties but is also the most expensive and disruptive measure — and the main reason some period terraces are costly to bring to EPC C, where a cost-cap exemption may eventually apply.

Draught proofing

Sealing the gaps around doors, windows, floorboards, skirting and the loft hatch is one of the lowest-cost measures and makes a home feel noticeably warmer straight away. It’s frequently bundled with insulation work and, pound for pound, gives a useful nudge to the rating for very little outlay.

Double glazing

Replacing single-glazed windows with modern double (or secondary) glazing cuts heat loss and draughts and lifts both comfort and the EPC score. In conservation areas or on listed buildings, slim-profile or secondary glazing is often the route that keeps planning happy while still improving performance.

Low-energy lighting

Swapping any remaining halogen or incandescent bulbs for LEDs is the cheapest improvement of all, and it appears on a surprising number of EPCs. It won’t move a property a whole band on its own, but as part of a package it’s an easy, instant win with no installer required.

Heating controls

A programmer, a room thermostat and thermostatic radiator valves let the heating run only when and where it’s needed, rather than heating the whole home all the time. Adding the controls a system lacks is inexpensive, improves the EPC, and is one of the simplest ways to trim a tenant’s energy bills.

Solid-wall insulation is the big-ticket item and the main reason some period terraces are expensive to bring to C. Where the cost of reaching C exceeds the cost cap, an exemption may apply.

Check your property’s real figures

The above is general to the construction type. Enter a postcode for the actual current band, the gap to C, and the costed measures from that property’s own EPC.

Common questions

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Guidance is general to the construction type and indicative; the cost figures in the checker come from each property’s own EPC. EPC data: contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.