Energy performance certificates (EPCs) tell prospective tenants and buyers how energy efficient a property is on a scale of A to G, with A being most efficient and G, least.

The Conversation has released an article based on a new piece of research, arguing that EPCs do not provide a reasonably accurate picture of the energy performance of a home. Particular problems with EPCs as a measure of home energy use are:

• EPCs tend to overestimate energy use for older buildings and underestimate it for newer buildings
• EPCs assume that people heat all of their building to standard schedules
• EPCs lack the flexibility to recommend more sensitive or bespoke alterations, such as replacing window shutters in older homes