According to statistics the energy used in domestic buildings for heating, lighting, and running appliances accounts for 31% of all primary energy consumption in the UK. Of this, 82% is used for space heating.

Currently, around 50% of dwellings with lofts have less than 100mm of insulation (7% have none at all) and 70% of dwellings with cavity walls have no cavity-wall insulation. This explains why the average SAP (standard assessment procedure) score for all dwellings in the UK is only around 44.

It has been recognised by the EU that the most cost-effective method of meeting Kyoto Protocol commitments is to tackle energy efficiency. The EU Directive on the Energy performance of Buildings sets out five actions in this regard, including the introduction of energy performance certificates (EPCs) whenever a building is constructed, rented or sold.

Once a property has been inspected an EPC can be generated which has the familiar energy labeling ranking system currently applied to white goods, along with other important information such as:

EPCs can only be issued by qualified home inspectors (HIs) or domestic energy assessors (DEAs)

It is hoped that the information homeowners receive about the energy efficiency of their new homes will inspire them to make improvements, both to reduce CO2 emissions and to save themselves potentially significant sums of money over the years.