More than three in five residential property professionals (62%) don’t believe that Energy Performance Certificates (EPCs) are the most suitable method to help reduce emissions in homes, research from Countrywide Surveying Services has indicated.

A webinar poll conducted by the supplier of valuation panel management services found that 38% still consider them to currently be the most suitable method.

The responses emerged at Countrywide’s regular webinar series with over 400 people actively engaged in the session with the audience consisting of lenders, brokers, surveyors and other property professionals.

Other polls about EPC ratings and energy efficiency carried out during the webinar suggested that 92% of the sector believe it requires “urgent upskilling”.

When asked the question whether they consider EPCs to be reliable, 57% of the respondents said sometimes, 21% responded rarely, 20% answered usually, while the remaining 2% reacted by saying never.

Countrywide head of sustainability, Ana Bajri, commented: “As the regulatory landscape shifts, we are seeing a variety of lenders take greater consideration around how they approach energy efficiency and EPCs from a product and risk perspective. In addition, the EPC is currently undergoing improvements via the government’s EPC action plan.

“How this is reflected in the context of valuations will prove a key focal point for our industry moving forward and this data really does help outline how a range of property professionals view the performance, reliability, the relationship to sales prices and consumer understanding of EPCs.”

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