EPC Preston
We carry out domestic Energy Performance Certificates across Preston and the surrounding PR postcodes, for homeowners selling, landlords letting, and anyone who has changed a property’s fabric and needs the rating brought up to date.
The assessment is done in person by an Elmhurst-accredited domestic energy assessor and lodged on the national EPC register, where it stays valid for ten years.
Accredited, registered and regulated
£65 for up to 3 bedrooms.
Then £5 for each additional bedroom — £70 for a four-bed, £75 for a five-bed. Paid in full when you book, with nothing to pay on the day and no deposit.
Which parts of Preston do you cover?
All of it. In practice that means PR1 for the city centre, Avenham, Deepdale and Broad Oak; PR2 for Fulwood, Cadley, Ashton and Brookfield; and PR5 for Bamber Bridge, Walton-le-Dale and Clayton-le-Woods. PR3 and PR4 reach out into the Ribble Valley, Longridge, Kirkham and Longton, and we cover those too — they are a mix of Preston, Wyre, Fylde and South Ribble authorities, so if you are not sure which side of a boundary you sit on, the postcode is all we need.
What Preston housing means for your EPC
Preston’s housing is genuinely mixed, and that mix decides how long an assessment takes and what the rating turns on. The 2021 census puts the city at 34.2% semi-detached, 29.2% terraced and 19.0% detached, with 14.0% of households in purpose-built flats. That is a far more even spread than most Lancashire towns — you can be in a stone-built terrace off New Hall Lane in the morning and a detached house in Fulwood in the afternoon.
The terraced share matters most for ratings. A large part of Preston’s terraced stock predates cavity construction, so the wall is solid brick and there is no cavity to fill. On a solid-walled terrace the rating is usually decided by loft insulation depth, the heating system and its controls, and the glazing — because the biggest single heat-loss element, the walls, often cannot be improved cheaply. That is why two outwardly similar terraces can sit a full band apart.
At the other end, Preston’s 19.0% detached share is high enough that bedroom count genuinely affects the fee. Our pricing follows bedrooms rather than floor area, so a four or five-bedroom house in Fulwood or Grimsargh costs a little more than a two-bed terrace — the figures are below and there is nothing to pay afterwards.
Tenure shapes why people call. Preston is 58.3% owner-occupied, 22.4% privately rented and 18.4% socially rented. That social-rented share is high, and it means a meaningful slice of local EPC work comes from registered providers and managing agents rather than individual sales. For private landlords, the certificate is the document that proves the property meets the minimum energy efficiency standard before it is let.
Housing mix and tenure figures: ONS Census 2021, tables TS044 and TS054, Preston local authority.
Why people in Preston book an EPC
Selling
A valid EPC must be commissioned before the property is marketed. Estate agents will usually ask for it at the point of listing.
Letting
A certificate is required before a tenancy starts, and it is the evidence that the property meets the minimum standard for rented homes.
Fabric changes
New windows, a new heating system, insulation or an extension can all move the rating. A fresh assessment records the improvement rather than leaving an old, worse certificate on the register.
Grant and funding checks
Many funding routes ask for a current EPC before anything else is considered.
EPCs in Preston, answered.
- How much is an EPC in Preston?
- £65 for a property with up to three bedrooms, then £5 for each additional bedroom — so a four-bed is £70 and a five-bed is £75. That is the full price, paid online when you book. There is no deposit and nothing further to pay afterwards.
- Do you cover PR3 and PR4, or only central Preston?
- Both. PR1, PR2 and PR5 are the Preston core, and PR3 and PR4 stretch out towards Longridge, Goosnargh, Kirkham and Longton. Those outer districts cross into Fylde, Wyre and South Ribble council areas, which makes no difference to us — enter the postcode when you book and we will confirm we cover you.
- My house is a solid-walled terrace. Will it fail?
- An EPC does not pass or fail — it gives a band from A to G and lists improvements. Solid walls do pull a rating down, because the walls are the largest heat-loss element and cannot be filled like a cavity. What usually lifts a solid-walled Preston terrace is loft insulation topped to current depth, better heating controls and, where it is practical, internal or external wall insulation.
- How long does the visit take?
- Around 45 minutes for a typical Preston terrace or semi. Larger detached properties in Fulwood or Grimsargh take longer, mostly because there are more rooms, more heating zones and often a converted loft or extension to measure separately.
- What do you need access to?
- Every room, the loft hatch, the boiler and its controls, and the meter. If the loft is boarded or the hatch is sealed, tell us beforehand — insulation depth we cannot see has to be recorded as the assumed default, which is usually worse than what is actually up there.
- Do I need a new EPC if I have had work done?
- Not legally, unless you are selling or letting. But if you have insulated, replaced the boiler or fitted new glazing, the certificate on the register still shows the old property. A fresh assessment is the only way the improvement appears on the public record.
Book your Preston EPC.
Order online in a couple of minutes, or call and we’ll take the details over the phone. Either way the certificate is lodged on the national register and emailed to you.