The fastest lever on your rating isn't building work
A large share of non-domestic ratings rest on defaults recorded because no evidence was supplied on the day of the survey – not on anything actually found wrong with the building. An assessor who couldn't see a wall's construction, or wasn't handed a test certificate, has to record the cautious assumption. That default counts against you exactly as if it were true.
Supplying the evidence replaces the assumption with the real figure – and can move your rating without a single contractor on site. It's usually the cheapest thing an owner hasn't tried yet.
How to tell which of your inputs were assumed →
The bands
The asset rating is an index where lower is better. It compares your building's calculated carbon emissions against those of a notional reference building of the same size and shape, built to a defined standard. It is not a measure of your energy bills.
| Band | What it means for MEES | Asset rating |
|---|---|---|
| A+ | Net zero carbon | Below 0 |
| A | 0 – 25 | |
| B | The 2031 standard for buildings over 1,000 m² | 26 – 50 |
| C | 51 – 75 | |
| D | 76 – 100 | |
| E | The minimum standard now | 101 – 125 |
| F | Unlettable | 126 – 150 |
| G | Unlettable | Over 150 |
"Asset rating", and why your bills are not in it
An EPC rates the asset: fabric, services, controls, and the way they were recorded. It assumes standard occupancy, standard hours and standard activities for the building type. A building running two shifts and a building running four days a week produce the same certificate.
This surprises owners who have spent money on operational efficiency and seen no movement in the rating – and it's also the opening: because the rating is a model, it responds to what the model was told. More on that above.
In this section
Why your score is what it is
Which inputs were evidenced, which were assumed, and what that costs you in points.
Read →Re-assessment & the evidence pack
The documents that settle each assumption, and how to hand them over.
Read →SBEM, iSBEM and DSM
The three ways a commercial certificate gets produced, and when each is used.
Read →When your EPC expires
What a lapsed certificate does – and does not – mean for compliance.
Read →Find the certificate you already have
Search the Energy Performance of Buildings Register for your building. It is free, there is no sign-up, and it takes about ten seconds.
Common questions
What is a commercial EPC?
An asset rating for a non-domestic building, calculated with SBEM or an approved dynamic simulation model, expressed as a number and a band from A+ to G. It rates the building as constructed and serviced, not how the occupier actually uses it.
How long does a commercial EPC last?
Ten years from lodgement.
Is a commercial EPC the same as a domestic one?
No. Domestic certificates use RdSAP and rate energy cost; non-domestic certificates use SBEM and rate carbon emissions against a notional reference building. The numbers are not comparable.
When do I need one?
On construction, sale, or letting – and in practice whenever you need to evidence a MEES position.