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Original EPC research, free to cite
EPCGuide has analysed all 27.6 million domestic EPC certificates ever issued in England and Wales, covering 19.7 million homes. Our data is independently compiled and freely available for journalists, researchers, and policymakers.
Press Release
Issued 30 March 2026. Free to republish with attribution to EPCGuide.
For Immediate Release
30 March 2026
Media contact
press@epcguide.co.ukNearly half of homes in England and Wales fall below the proposed EPC C standard as £67.7 billion upgrade bill looms
New analysis of every domestic EPC issued in England and Wales reveals 49.6% of homes - 9.8 million properties - fall below the EPC C threshold proposed as the minimum standard for rented homes under government plans. The minimum standard in force is band E, and the EPC C proposal is not yet law. EPCGuide estimates the cost of bringing every home below C up to standard at £67.7 billion.
Analysis by independent research platform EPCGuide, covering all 27,612,160 EPC certificates covering 19,721,103 distinct homes across 318 local authority areas, paints a stark picture of the challenge facing England and Wales ahead of the government's proposed 2030 deadline for rented properties to meet an EPC C standard.
The research reveals significant regional variation, with some areas facing an enormous task. In the Isles of Scilly, 85% of homes fall below EPC C - the worst rate of any local authority in England and Wales. Gwynedd in north Wales records 74.3%, while Pendle and Blackpool in Lancashire register 74% and 72% respectively.
At the other end of the scale, urban local authorities with newer housing stock perform significantly better. Tower Hamlets in east London has just 24.9% of homes below EPC C - the best rate in England and Wales. North Northamptonshire records 35%.
Key findings
- 27,612,160 EPC certificates analysed, covering 19,721,103 homes in England and Wales
- 49.6% of homes in England and Wales are below EPC C
- 9.8 million homes sit below EPC C, the standard proposed for rented homes from October 2030
- Total estimated upgrade cost: £67.7 billion
- Worst local authority: Isles of Scilly (85% below EPC C)
- Best local authority: Tower Hamlets (24.9% below EPC C)
- Privately rented homes are 53.3% below EPC C, against 61.5% of owner-occupied homes
- The reversal holds in 286 of 318 local authorities
- Private renters are 60% more likely to live in homes with uninsulated solid walls (33.6% vs 21.0%)
- Modelled heating costs: £687/yr for a private rental vs £919/yr for an owner-occupied home
Heating costs follow the efficiency gap
Modelled annual heating costs run to £687 for a privately rented home, £919 for an owner-occupied home and £567 for a socially rented one. The £232 difference between private rental and owner-occupied stock follows directly from the efficiency gap, and it falls on the household paying the bill rather than the one who owns the building.
The reversal: private rentals outperform owner-occupied homes
Privately rented homes are in better shape than the homes people own and live in. 53.3% of privately rented homes sit below band C, against 61.5% of owner-occupied homes, a gap of 8.2 percentage points that holds in 286 of 318 local authorities. Social rented homes lead every tenure at 33.2%.
Landlords reached that position from a worse starting point. 33.6% of privately rented homes have uninsulated solid walls against 21.0% of owner-occupied homes, so private renters remain 60% more likely to live in a solid-walled uninsulated property. Tenants still pay less to heat those homes. The difference is regulation: minimum energy efficiency standards have applied to the private rented sector since 2018 and to no other tenure.
“Our analysis of every EPC ever issued reveals that nearly half of English and Welsh homes would fail the proposed 2030 minimum standard. The scale of this challenge has been consistently underestimated. With 9.8 million properties needing upgrades in less than five years, England and Wales face one of the most ambitious retrofit programmes in peacetime history.”
“The £67.7 billion price tag, EPCGuide’s own estimate from modelling upgrade costs for every home below band C on the register, represents one of the largest infrastructure challenges facing England and Wales, equivalent to roughly £7,000 per property below C. Without coordinated government intervention, market incentives alone cannot deliver this at the speed and scale required.”
Interactive research tools and full data:
Methodology
The EPCGuide analysis covers all 27,612,160 domestic EPC certificates issued in England and Wales, covering 19,721,103 distinct homes, and held on the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government open data register. Where multiple certificates exist for a single property, the most recent certificate is used. Local authority boundaries reflect those in use as of 2024. Heating cost estimates are modelled from certificate data including floor area, wall construction type, fuel type, and current energy tariff benchmarks. All figures are correct as of Q1 2026.
The £67.7 billion upgrade bill is EPCGuide’s own estimate, produced by modelling the cost of the improvements each home below band C would need and summing them across the register. It is not a government figure. The EPC C standard referred to throughout is a government proposal for the private rented sector in England and Wales from 1 October 2030, announced on 21 January 2026. It requires an Act of Parliament and a statutory instrument before it takes effect, and neither has happened. The minimum standard in force is band E.
About EPCGuide
EPCGuide (epcguide.co.uk) is an independent research platform that analyses Energy Performance Certificate data for England and Wales to make it accessible to journalists, policymakers, and the public. EPCGuide has analysed all 27.6 million domestic EPC certificates ever issued in England and Wales, covering 19.7 million homes across 318 local authorities. Our research is not funded by any government body, energy company, or political organisation. All findings are freely available for press citation, academic use, and policy reference.
About EPCGuide
EPCGuide is an independent research platform that analyses Energy Performance Certificate data for England and Wales to make it accessible to the public. We have analysed all 27.6 million domestic EPC certificates ever issued in England and Wales, covering 19.7 million homes across 318 local authorities. Our research is not funded by any government body, energy company, or political organisation.
Our dataset is compiled directly from the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government's open data register and updated to reflect the latest available certificates. We apply consistent methodology across all 318 local authority areas to ensure like-for-like comparability.
All EPCGuide research is freely available for press citation, academic use, and policy reference. We ask only that you attribute findings to EPCGuide and link to the relevant research page where possible.
Key Statistics for Press Use
These figures are ready to use in copy. All derived from our analysis of 27,612,160 EPC certificates covering 19,721,103 homes across England and Wales.
- 27,612,160 EPC certificates covering 19,721,103 homes analysed across England and Wales
- 49.6% of homes in England and Wales are below EPC C
- 9.8 million homes need upgrades before the 2030 deadline
- Estimated total upgrade cost: £67.7 billion
- Worst performing area: Isles of Scilly (85% of homes below EPC C)
- Best performing area: Tower Hamlets (24.9% of homes below EPC C)
- Blackpool: worst major town at 72% of homes below EPC C
- Privately rented homes are 53.3% below EPC C, against 61.5% of owner-occupied homes
- The reversal holds in 286 of 318 local authorities
- Private renters are 60% more likely to live in homes with uninsulated solid walls (33.6% vs 21.0%)
- Modelled heating costs: £687/yr for a private rental vs £919/yr for an owner-occupied home
Pre-written Quotes
These quotes are approved for press use. Attribute all quotes to the EPCGuide Research Team.
“Our analysis of every EPC ever issued reveals that nearly half of English and Welsh homes would fail the proposed 2030 minimum standard. The scale of this challenge has been consistently underestimated. With 9.8 million properties needing upgrades in less than five years, England and Wales face one of the most ambitious retrofit programmes in peacetime history.”
“The £67.7 billion price tag represents one of the largest infrastructure challenges facing England and Wales. That is equivalent to roughly £7,000 per non-compliant property. Without coordinated government intervention, market incentives alone cannot deliver this at the speed and scale required.”
“Every headline about substandard rental housing runs into the same problem in this data. Privately rented homes are eight percentage points ahead of owner-occupied ones, 53.3% below band C against 61.5%, and they got there carrying more solid-wall stock. A decade of minimum energy efficiency standards did that. The homes with no deadline are the ones furthest behind.”
“The gap between the best and worst performing areas is stark: Tower Hamlets at 24.9% versus Isles of Scilly at 85%. Urban density, building age, and fuel access all play a role, but the data reveals that geography and property type are far stronger predictors of EPC performance than most policy analysis has acknowledged.”
Our Research
Five original research reports covering different angles of the UK EPC picture. Each is freely available and citable.
Interactive UK EPC Map 2026
Choropleth map of EPC compliance across all 318 local authorities. Sortable tables, property-type breakdowns, and CSV export.
UK's Most Expensive Areas to Heat
Annual heating cost analysis by area, fuel type, and property age. Reveals the off-gas penalty and Victorian heating premium.
Constituency EPC Rankings
EPC compliance ranked by parliamentary constituency. Essential context for coverage of the 2030 deadline debate.
Rental vs Owner-Occupied EPC Gap
Privately rented homes are 53.3% below EPC C against 61.5% of owner-occupied homes. The reversal, and why regulation explains it.
EPC Compliance Analysis
Full national compliance picture: rating distributions, upgrade costs, and the scale of work needed before 2030.
Local Authority Data
We have detailed EPC breakdowns for all 318 local authorities in England and Wales. Each page includes rating distributions, property type breakdowns, construction age analysis, tenure data, and estimated upgrade costs.
Looking for data on a specific area? Browse our local authority pages or contact us for a tailored data request.
Citation Format
Please use the following format when citing EPCGuide research in articles or academic work:
EPCGuide (2026). Analysis of 27,612,160 EPC certificates covering 19,721,103 homes. Available at: epcguide.co.uk/research
For specific pages, replace /research with the path of the relevant report.
Press Contact
For press enquiries, data requests, or interview requests, contact the EPCGuide research team. We aim to respond to all media enquiries within one working day.
press@epcguide.co.uk