Solar PV installations will contribute towards raising EPC levels
The government has now confirmed that a Solar PV installation can contribute towards raising the EPC rating of a building, which is even better news for consumers, in particular those with homes with an EPC rating of E or below. Recent proposals stated that from the 1st April 2012, any building having a Solar PV installation could be eligible for a lower tariff rate if the building does not meet an EPC rating of D or above.
At the time it was unclear as to whether a new Solar PV installation could be used towards raising the EPC level, however news has now been released that it will. This means that the installation of a Solar PV array could help raise the level and make the property eligible for the standard feed-in-tariff. For this to work, the PV system must be installed first, then an EPC conducted and lastly the application for the feed-in-tariff completed. All feed-in-tariff applications from 1st April 2012 onwards will require a valid EPC certificate to be included.
The feed-in-tariff requirements in relation to EPC ratings apply to any building which has a Solar PV connection. Therefore, even for those installing a system on an out-building or barn, the EPC rating of the dwelling receiving the generated electricity will be taken into account. This also applies to ground-mount systems. The only exception for EPC requirements for Solar PV is for systems which exceed 50kWp.
For full details of the propsed changes to the current feed-in-tariff click here. Or for any questions you can contact us online or call us on freephone 0800 533 5130.
