Insurance News Archive
EPCs to be part of Hips
Consumers will be able to compare the energy efficiency of homes as the government aims to make Energy Performance Certificates (EPCs) a compulsory document of the forthcoming Home Information Packs (Hips).
In a bid to reduce carbon emissions and assist homeowners in saving money on energy bills, the government consultation has proposed that estate agents must include the certificates with the property particulars.
Despite opposition from some estate agents, Hips will be launched nationally on June 1st.
Commenting on the initiative, communities secretary Ruth Kelly said: "This is an important opportunity to improve the buying and selling process for consumers.
"By providing more information on the energy efficiency of homes, we can help consumers make more informed choices about the homes they buy and their impact on climate change," she added.
This is the latest of several government-led initiatives aimed at speeding up the process of buying or selling a home through making it more transparent.
A recent report by Mori revealed that the average transaction time for a house sale in the UK is more than six months, among the slowest rate in Europe.
26 Jan 2007
