Energy Performance of Buildings Certificates: change note
Published 24 October 2024
Applies to England and Wales
© Crown copyright 2024
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The Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) has previously informed users of potential changes to the Energy Performance of Buildings Certificates (EPC) quarterly statistics. This note provides information on changes made in the most recent release October 2024.
The statistics are based on Energy Performance Certificates issued for domestic and non-domestic buildings and Display Energy Certificates (DECs) issued for buildings occupied by public authorities. The certificates are lodged on the Energy Performance of Buildings (EPB) Register (‘The Register’) for England and Wales.
1. Official Statistics status
The statistics in this release were changed from ‘Official Statistics in development’ to ‘Official Statistics’ due to improvement to data quality and developments responding to user requirements. This designation was applied from October 2024, and means the statistics were produced in accordance with the governance and operational arrangements set out in statistical legislation, and in compliance with the standards of best practice set out in the Code of Practice for Statistics.
Our statistical practice is regulated by the Office for Statistics Regulation (OSR). OSR sets the standards of trustworthiness, quality and value in the Code of Practice for Statistics that all producers of official statistics should adhere to. You are welcome to contact us directly with any comments about how we meet these standards. Alternatively, you can contact OSR by emailing regulation@statistics.gov.uk or via the OSR website
These statistics are based on information from Energy Performance Certificates (EPCs) issued for domestic and non-domestic buildings and Display Energy Certificates (DECs) issued for buildings occupied by public authorities. The certificates are lodged on the Energy Performance for Buildings Certificates Register for England and Wales.
It is felt that development work on these statistics has been completed and the quality has been improved from the collection stage through to publication.
2. Flats and maisonettes
To increase awareness of the quality of the EPC data we have carried out data linking work to compare the EPC variables with similar variables collected by the English Housing Survey (EHS).
Both the EPC and EHS data collect responses on property type. We quality checked this variable across sources and found that where the records did not match, the discrepancy was for identifying flats, where flats were often misidentified as maisonettes.
Therefore, we made the decision to combine the two categories into one within the statistics, which is also consistent with other publications of the data.
2.1 How this impacts the statistics
The statistics are now designated as Official Statistics and can provide a factual basis for assessment and decisions on economic, social and environmental issues at all levels of society.
The changes to the property type category, where we have combined flats and maisonettes, will mean the time series for these individual categories will be impacted compared to previous publications.
2.2 What this means for users
Users can place further trust in the quality and value of these statistics.
Within the live tables we have provided historical data for the combined category of flats and maisonettes to ensure users have a valuable historical dataset. This will make it easier for users to compare across quarters and years.
3. Contact
We would be keen to hear your thoughts or comments on any of the above changes. If you would like to get in touch, please email: EPBStats@communities.gov.uk.