Home Information Packs

After many delays, Home Information Packs were introduced on 1 August 2007. Duncan Clark checks them out from an environmental perspective

As with purchasing homes, it can take longer than expected to introduce laws. Politicians have been discussing Home Information Packs (Hips) since 1999.

The packs were scheduled to be introduced in June 2007, but they didn’t arrive until August (for properties with four or more bedrooms) and September (for three-bedroom homes). An announcement about smaller houses and flats is expected shortly.

So what is a Hip?

The idea is for owners to provide prospective home buyers with detailed information about the property they’re thinking of purchasing. This includes proof of who owns what, local authority surveys and a breakdown of the property’s green credentials.

What is an energy performance certificate?

A key component of the Hip is the energy performance certificate (EPC). This is based on an energy audit and is the environmental part of a Hip.

Before you sell your house an inspector will rate how efficient it is – they will base this on things like your boiler. This information is compiled into an audit, which opens with some charts similar to the energy labels found on fridges, freezers and other white goods.

However, unlike white goods homes receive separate ratings for energy efficiency (how much a house costs to heat and power) and environmental impact (how much CO2 is caused in the process).

In general, the two ratings will be close because the more efficient a home is the smaller its carbon footprint is. However, the two ratings aren’t necessarily the same because, as the pack points out, “improvements to energy efficiency are not always accompanied by a reduction in CO2 emissions”.

Conversely, you could theoretically have an inefficient house (eg poorly insulated) that’s relatively low carbon (eg, thanks to a solar roof), but such cases are rare.

For each of the two categories, the home receives a score out of 100, which determines its place on a scale of A (greenest) to G (least green). At present, the average rating for energy efficiency for a home in England and Wales is 46 out of 100 – band E.

What advice does an EPC give?

As well as examining the current situation each EPC give ratings for the potential greenness of the property, along with advice on how to achieve this.

The recommendations are divided into lower and higher cost improvements. Lower cost improvements are those that cost less than £500, such as improving insulation and installing low energy lightbulbs. Higher cost improvements are things like upgrading to a super-efficient boiler. In addition, the document recommends “further measures to achieve even higher standards”, such as adding a solar roof.

How can I improve my rating?

If you’re thinking of selling you could get house performing as well as possible before you put it on the market. Making energy-efficiency improvements can improve your rating. For example, adding loft insulation and installing low energy lightbulbs.

However, Paul Brian of Home Inspector Certification recommends getting the EPC done first and then acting upon its advice. That way, he explains, you’ll “know you’re making the right changes”. You could then explain to potential buyers that you’ve already acted upon some of the recommendations.

Will EPC make us greener?

The government hopes that Hips will help cut domestic greenhouse emissions, but it remains to be seen how big a difference it will make. Some green thinkers argue that it would be more effective to give householders a direct financial incentive to increase efficiency.

For example, author and journalist George Monbiot has recommended shifting the burden of stamp duty from buyer to seller, and reducing the rate for more efficient homes. More radical measures such as these may appear in the long run, but in the meantime Hips are at least raising awareness about energy efficiency. And that can only be a good thing.

Images originally appeared on Home information pack