What is an Energy Report?

What is an Energy Report?

The Energy Report is one third of the Home Report produced for home buyers in Scotland. It is designed to rate the energy efficiency of a house, along with its environmental impact (carbon dioxide emissions). An Energy Report is the same as an Energy Performance Certificate. It can be carried out by a Domestic Energy Assessor or an RICS Chartered Surveyor.
 
Homeowners are now able to see for the first time a range of cost-effective measures that could be implemented potentially to improve a property’s energy efficiency. The report details current and potential future running costs for household energy with the suggested changes.
 
The view is that better informed home buyers will take on board recommendations and are more likely to adopt these changes to help meet targets on CO2 emissions and address the effects of climate change.
 
The Energy Report is carried out by a Chartered Surveyor who is tasked with carrying out the report in accordance with Article 7 of the European Energy Performance of Buildings Directive. This insists that when any building is sold an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) must be made available to any prospective buyers. The prescribed information for Scottish Energy Reports is sufficient enough to meet those guidelines.

What is the difference between Energy Reports in Scotland and England and Wales?

In Scotland, sellers will receive their Energy Report along with their Single Survey. These are prepared by their allocated Chartered Surveyor as part of the full survey inspection, who is able to provide an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) without any further inspection. This provides the seller with a report and a certificate from a single inspection of the house, all within one fee.
 
By comparison, in England and Wales sellers have to commission a Domestic Energy Assessor to inspect the property for their Energy Performance Certificates and Reports. A surveyor only gets involved in the inspection later in the transaction process and may even retrieve information already obtained by the Domestic Energy Assessor.

How long is an Energy Report valid?

The validity of an Energy Report in Scotland for homes for sale or rent is 10 years from the date of issue. It is valid irrespective of how many times the property is sold or how many times a new tenant occupies the property throughout this period.

Where can I find a surveyor to provide an Energy Report?

reallymoving.com can help you find an assessor with up to four instant Home Reports quotes. Your quote will also include a link to the Property Questionnaire for you to complete – an essential part of the Home Report in Scotland.