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Can I do my own commercial EPC?

Updated 19 October 2026 · SEO Dons Editorial

Who is allowed to produce a commercial EPC?

Only an accredited energy assessor. The Energy Performance of Buildings (England and Wales) Regulations 2012 define an energy assessor as an individual who is a member of an accreditation scheme, and require every energy assessor to belong to a scheme approved by the Secretary of State. Regulation 9 then says an EPC must be issued by an energy assessor who is accredited to produce EPCs for the category of building it relates to.

Government guidance puts it in one line: EPCs for non-dwellings must be produced by an accredited non-domestic energy assessor who is a member of a government-approved accreditation scheme. Its FAQ answers the "can anyone do it" question directly: only an accredited and qualified energy assessor who is a member of an approved scheme can produce the EPC.

Accreditation is also tied to the type of building. The guidance says assessors need to be qualified for the type of building being assessed, and Elmhurst Energy, one of the approved schemes, explains that a Level 4 qualification covers buildings classed as Level 4 and below. A building with an atrium or other complex features needs an assessor accredited at Level 5. The differences between levels are set out in SBEM Level 3 and 4 versus DSM.

Can an electrician do an EPC?

Only if they are also an accredited energy assessor. Being an electrician, heating engineer, architect or surveyor does not by itself allow anyone to produce an EPC. The test in the regulations is membership of an approved accreditation scheme, at the right level for the building.

People in those trades can hold that accreditation too, but it is a separate qualification. To join a scheme, government guidance says an assessor must:

  • demonstrate competence, either through a recognised qualification from an awarding body or approved prior experience and learning
  • maintain appropriate professional indemnity cover
  • update their skills and knowledge regularly
  • take part in the scheme's quality assurance procedures

The same applies to domestic energy assessors. Someone accredited only for homes cannot produce a commercial EPC: the guidance says the non-dwelling parts of a building must be assessed by an assessor accredited to carry out assessments for non-dwellings. The wider differences are covered in commercial EPC versus domestic EPC.

Why can't an owner run the software and lodge it?

Because an EPC is more than a calculation. Only government-approved software may be used to produce one, and the regulations require the assessor who issues it to make sure the data used is entered on the national register before the certificate is handed over.

Lodging is what makes the document an EPC. Government guidance says the EPC and recommendation report are only valid once they have been lodged, and that lodging helps protect the consumer by making sure only accredited energy assessors can produce EPCs. A report you create yourself, however carefully, will not have a register reference number and cannot be used to meet the duty to make an EPC available.

Accreditation also brings accountability. Regulation 24 says energy assessors must carry out energy assessments with reasonable care and skill, and that duty can be enforced by the seller or landlord and by a prospective or actual buyer or tenant while the certificate is valid. Assessors must also maintain professional indemnity cover as a condition of scheme membership.

Can my own staff or surveyor produce it?

Yes, if they are accredited. Government guidance says energy assessors can be self-employed, employees of service organisations such as surveyors or energy companies, or employees of the landlord or owner. An organisation with an accredited non-domestic assessor on its staff can use them for its own buildings.

There are conditions. Assessors must act independently, and regulation 23 requires the EPC to include a declaration of any personal or business relationship the assessor has with the person who commissioned it. So an in-house assessment is allowed, but the relationship is shown on the certificate.

Unaccredited colleagues can help in limited ways. The guidance says a team can gather information as long as they work under the direction of an accredited energy assessor, but data gatherers are not permitted on level three buildings. On level four and five buildings, the assessor must still visit and inspect every building and record the assistants used and where all the data came from. The guidance also says remote lodgement, where an assessor lodges a certificate from data they have not collected or verified, is not acceptable.

How do you check an assessor is accredited?

There are three straightforward checks:

  1. Search the government service. GOV.UK's Get a new energy certificate service lets you find an accredited assessor and tells you to check they are part of an accredited scheme. For non-domestic assessors, the service includes a "Check an assessor is registered" option to find an assessor by name.
  2. Ask for the scheme and membership number. Government guidance says you can ask the assessor for the name of their accreditation scheme and their membership number, and confirm with the scheme that they are accredited.
  3. Read the certificate. A non-domestic EPC must show the assessor's name, their employer or trading name, and the accreditation scheme they belong to. Any existing certificate can be found on the register by postcode, street name and town, or certificate number.

If something goes wrong, GOV.UK says to complain to the assessor first and then to their accreditation scheme, whose contact details are on the EPC.

What can you do yourself?

Plenty of the groundwork. You can check the register for an existing valid EPC, gather floor plans and any manuals or service records for the heating, cooling, ventilation and lighting, and arrange access to every part of the building. The checklist in how to prepare your building for a commercial EPC assessment covers this step by step, and good preparation can shorten the survey.

When you are ready, you can describe the building through the commercial EPC quote form. Requests are passed to companies that can carry out the assessment, and each quote should confirm the assessor's accreditation level for your building.

Sources

Common questions

Can a domestic energy assessor produce a commercial EPC?

Only if they are also accredited for non-domestic buildings. Government guidance says non-dwellings must be assessed by an assessor accredited to carry out assessments for non-dwellings, and the EPC must be issued by someone accredited for that category of building.

Is an EPC produced without a site visit acceptable?

Government guidance says remote lodgement, where a certificate is lodged from data the assessor has not collected or verified, is not acceptable. Even where detailed plans exist, the assessor must validate the information with a site inspection.

What can I do if the EPC seems wrong?

Contact the assessor first and, if that does not resolve it, their accreditation scheme, whose details are on the certificate. Energy assessors have a legal duty to carry out assessments with reasonable care and skill.

How can I tell whether an EPC is genuine?

Search the government register using the certificate number, postcode or street name and town. Government guidance says a valid EPC must carry a certificate reference number, which is only generated once the certificate has been lodged on the register.

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