Licensee slams 'inaccurate' EPCs
A frustrated licensee, who spent £7,000 on a state-of-the-art efficient boiler, has been given a poor rating on his energy performance certificate (EPC).
Simon Allen, owner and licensee at the Caberfeidh in Lochinver, in the Scottish Highlands, feared the result could deter potential buyers.
New legislation means EPCs are compulsory for anyone selling a pub, but Allen called them "pointless and inaccurate". He said: "I spent £7,000 on heating and insulation, and my boiler is rated 92.3% efficient. I don't understand this result."
He added: "I scored 'poor' under the heading 'main heating and hot water', but good under being environmentally friendly. This doesn't make sense."
Allen said the reason he scored poorly was because of his fuel type. Due to the rural location of his pub, mains gas is not available so he uses liquid petroleum gas (LPG), which has to be brought in by road.
When he received the results of the EPC, he called the surveyor who carried out the assessment to complain, but was told that the results are generated automatically by inputting findings into a computer software programme. Allen then complained to the company that wrote the software, Elmhurst Energy Systems in Leicestershire.
Stephen O'Hara, managing director of Elmhurst Energy systems, said: "The reason the EPC gave a result of 'poor' under the heading of heating is due to the cost of the fuel. Environmentally it came out as good, because CO2 emissions from LPG are quite good, though possibly not as good as mains gas or some other renewable energy sources.
"Other technologies may be more efficient in rural areas — solar technology may or may not be viable for a pub, or heat pumps, which use ground, water or air sources."
