If you’ve ever bought a property, there’s a good chance you’ve looked at the Energy Performance Certificate before making a decision.

Most people glance at the familiar A to G rating, compare it with similar properties and move on.

The problem is that a single letter has never been able to tell the full story.

As Chartered Surveyors, we’ve inspected countless properties over the years, and one thing has become very clear.

Two homes with exactly the same EPC rating can perform very differently.

One might feel warm and comfortable throughout the winter, have efficient heating and require very little investment over the coming years.

The other may be prone to draughts, lose heat quickly and need significant improvements to make it more comfortable and economical to run.

Yet both could display the same EPC rating.

That’s one of the reasons we welcome the Government’s planned reforms to domestic Energy Performance Certificates.

Rather than relying on a single headline score, future EPCs are expected to provide a more rounded assessment of a property’s energy performance. Buyers will be able to see information about how well the building retains heat, the efficiency of its heating system, estimated running costs and how well the property is prepared for newer technologies.

In our opinion, that’s a positive step because it encourages buyers to look beyond a single number.

Of course, even the new EPC won’t replace the value of a professional survey.

An EPC is designed to assess energy performance.

A survey looks at the property as a whole.

During an inspection, we are considering the condition of the roof, walls, windows, drainage, structural movement, damp, maintenance issues and much more. We are also thinking about how the construction of the property may affect its long-term performance, maintenance requirements and future costs.

Those are things an EPC simply isn’t designed to tell you.

As energy efficiency becomes an increasingly important factor in property values, buyers are understandably paying closer attention to how homes perform.

That’s a good thing.

But our advice remains the same.

Don’t judge a property by its EPC alone.

Use it as one piece of information alongside a professional survey, because understanding the condition of a property is every bit as important as understanding its energy performance.

Buying a home is one of the biggest financial decisions most of us will ever make.

The more complete the picture, the better equipped you’ll be to make the right decision.