We’ve teamed up with Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) provider, Vibrant, to give our home-owning members a comprehensive home energy report for their property – for FREE.
The report will help you to identify any energy-efficient improvements to your home that could reduce your monthly energy usage and help you do your bit to ‘go green’. See our full offer Terms and Conditions [PDF].
What is EPC Plus?
An EPC gives a property an energy efficiency rating from A (most efficient) to G (least efficient) and is valid for 10 years. A valid EPC is required if you intend to sell or rent out a residential property. With the EPC Plus service from Vibrant you get:
- a home visit from an assessor to inspect each room, which typically takes 20-40 minutes in total
- an up-to-date EPC showing your current rating
- a detailed report on your property’s full potential, with a suggested maximum EPC rating and the changes you’d have to make to achieve it
- access to the technical team at Vibrant who can answer any questions, once you have your full report
- detailed quotes showing the cost of work using contractors from Vibrant's carefully-selected panel available on request
- a choice on whether to use their services or find your own contractors. If you choose Vibrant to project-manage the works, they will charge a fee for the service.
Any agreement for this service, the installation and performance of any subsequent works will be between you and Vibrant.
EPC Plus could help you identify opportunities to...
-
Save money
Reduced energy use could help you save on your monthly energy bills.
-
Add value
Lasting energy-efficient improvements which could make your home more attractive to buyers.
-
Go greener
Find ways to use less energy and potentially improve your environmental footprint.
Why are we offering our members this for free?
We know that lots of you are thinking about the squeeze that rising energy bills and the cost of living are putting on you and your loved ones. We understand that going green and being environmentally-friendly is becoming more and more important to our members too. Offering a free EPC Plus is one way we can help our members to consider their own environmental footprint, by highlighting ways they could improve the energy efficiency of the property they own.
“Like many others we too took up the free offer from Skipton Building Society of a free energy survey on our property. The surveyor was very helpful and professional and answered the many questions we had. A short time after we received a report from Vibrant which was informative and highlighted areas where we might increase our EPC rating.”
Skipton Building Society member - 27 May 2023
Who are Vibrant?
To offer you this opportunity, we’re working with a company called Vibrant, a UK supplier of EPCs who help many homeowners every year. Vibrant are owned by Connells Limited, part of the Skipton Group.
Your survey and personalised report will be prepared by one of their experienced assessors. You can watch the video below to see what will happen when they visit your home.
Following the survey the assessor will create your EPC Plus report, including the EPC rating and any improvements you could consider making to the property. The report will be sent to you within two business days of their visit.
Once you’ve had chance to consider your options, Vibrant’s team will be happy to answer any technical questions you might have about things like heat pumps and insulation, and can advise on the potential availability of grants towards the work. Just get in touch with them directly and they’ll talk you through everything.
Is there anything else I should consider?
If you intend to sell your home or rent out a residential property you will need a valid EPC.
If you are a landlord in England, Wales or Northern Ireland, EPC Band E is the minimum level of energy efficiency required for rental residential property. Therefore, you should consider that if the EPC rating on your new report was below Band E, it would affect your ability to let the property out and you could be liable for a fine. To fully understand your responsibilities in these areas you may want to seek your own independent legal advice. You may also find the government website helpful:
Buying or selling your home: Energy Performance Certificates
Domestic private rented property: minimum energy efficiency standard - landlord guidance