FAQs
Questions about EPCs and how Sapling works
Short, direct answers covering coverage, data sources, privacy and what to do once you know your rating.
An Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) is an official UK Government rating (A to G) that shows how energy-efficient a property is. It includes estimated energy costs, CO₂ emissions and recommendations to improve efficiency. EPCs are legally required when a property is built, sold or rented in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.
Yes. Sapling is completely free to use. We do not charge for lookups, reports, or downloads. There are no hidden fees, no account required, and no upsells, your report belongs to you and you can share it with any provider.
All EPC data is pulled directly from the official UK Government Energy Performance of Buildings Register, which is the authoritative public source maintained by the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC). Coverage is England and Wales.
Yes. Common improvements include loft and cavity wall insulation, double or triple glazing, upgrading to a condensing boiler or heat pump, installing solar PV, and switching to LED lighting. Our report shows your property's recommended measures with estimated savings, you are free to take this to any installer or assessor.
England and Wales. Those nations share the Energy Performance of Buildings Register that Sapling queries. Scotland and Northern Ireland maintain separate registers, so their certificates are not returned here.
No. There is no sign-up, no password and no paywall. You enter a postcode, select the property and read the certificate. If you want the report by email you can choose to give us an address, and that is the only point at which we ask for personal details.
Sapling queries the government register directly, so you see the certificate as currently filed. If a property was recently reassessed and the new certificate has been lodged, that is what appears. Certificates remain valid for ten years from lodgement.
The most common reasons are that the property has never had an assessment, the certificate predates the register, or the address is recorded differently by the assessor. Try a neighbouring format of the address, or search the postcode and scan the full property list.
Your report is yours. Details are only passed to a third party when you explicitly ask us to, and that consent is captured at the point you make the request. Full detail is in our privacy policy.
Homeowners checking their own property, landlords managing rental compliance, installers qualifying jobs, and retrofit surveyors preparing for site visits. Each group reads the same official record framed for their situation.
Yes. Surveyors, installers and one-stop-shop providers use the lookup as a pre-survey and pre-quote step. If you need a deeper integration into your workflow, contact us and describe how you work.
Start with the recommended measures listed on your own certificate, which are ordered with fabric improvements such as insulation and draught-proofing before heating system changes. Our guides walk through the typical route from a D to a C.