How to download commercial EPC data
Updated 23 October 2026 · SEO Dons Editorial
What non-domestic EPC data can you download?
The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) runs a service called Get energy performance of buildings data. It is for "researchers and product developers" who need bulk data on three things: EPCs for domestic properties, EPCs for non-domestic properties and Display Energy Certificates for public buildings. It covers England and Wales and includes certificates registered from 2008, some of which may have expired or been replaced.
It is not a lookup for one building. The service directs anyone who needs an individual property's certificate to the Energy Performance Certificate Register, and how to find a commercial EPC on the register explains that route. Through the API, the non-domestic data includes recommendation reports as well as certificates.
How do you get the data?
- Start at the service. The "Start now" button leads to a page asking how you would like to access the data.
- Sign in. You need to sign in or create an account with GOV.UK One Login to download bulk certificate data, and an API user needs the same account to receive a bearer token. The data protection page adds that MHCLG retains the email address of those who access the data.
- Choose the route. The page offers "Download files", with certificate data in CSV format, or "Use a developer API".
- Read the guidance. It covers the data dictionary, methodology, limitations and licensing.
The pages after sign-in are not public, so this guide does not describe them. Follow the options on screen.
Should you use the CSV download or the API?
| Bulk CSV download | Developer API | |
|---|---|---|
| Typical use | Analysing the whole non-domestic dataset at once | Software that looks up or refreshes individual records |
| How often it updates | First day of each month | Daily |
| Account | GOV.UK One Login | GOV.UK One Login, to receive a bearer token |
| Documentation | Data dictionary (it applies to the CSV files only) | API guidance and technical documentation |
| Recommendations | Linked to certificates by certificate number | Fetched for non-domestic EPCs by certificate number |
| Stated limit | No limit stated on the pages checked | Standard limit of 6000 requests every 5 minutes per originating IP address |
The API documentation lists full-load downloads of non-domestic EPCs in CSV and JSON, plus searches for non-domestic certificates and for certificates that have changed.
What are the licence terms?
Two regimes apply to different fields.
- Non-address fields. Every field other than address and postcode data (address, address 1, address 2, address 3 and postcode) is licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Where the provider specifies no attribution statement, the licence requires: "Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0."
- Address fields. MHCLG published them with the consent of Ordnance Survey and Royal Mail Group Limited, which permit "address data" solely for specific purposes related to the energy performance of buildings. They include managing properties with a view to promoting energy efficiency, research that improves understanding of the energy efficiency of buildings, and promoting better understanding of buildings' current efficiency in the sale or rental markets.
- Sharing address data. If you share it with anyone for a permitted purpose, you must include a copy of the copyright and database right notice with the data. Any use not specified in the notice or covered by a copyright exception requires a licence from Ordnance Survey.
- Personal data. The data protection page says the data contains personal data and that, if processing falls within data protection law, you become a data controller and must comply with it.
This is a summary, not legal advice. The licensing page governs.
What does the data leave out or get wrong?
- Not every building. The register does not hold data for every non-domestic building, and the data should not be read as a true representation of the whole building stock.
- Duplicates. Expired and replaced certificates are included, so one building can have several.
- Exclusions. Nothing is published for certificates marked cancelled or not for issue, buildings whose owner or tenant has opted out of public disclosure, or buildings with a Green Deal loan.
- Anomalies. The CSV can contain INVALID fields and 'NO DATA!' where a field was not mandatory when the certificate was lodged. MHCLG publishes the data unaltered and says responsibility for its robustness for an individual building lies with the energy assessor and their accreditation scheme.
- Missing councils. The guidance says there are currently just over 8,600 records with no local authority identifier because the address could not be matched, and the dictionary says to use the ONS code, not the name.
How do you match the records to a portfolio?
For a managing agent or landlord, the usual aim is a list of each property's latest certificate, its rating and its valid-until date. The page for managing agents explains why that inventory comes before any new assessment.
- Key on UPRN first. The data dictionary defines the UPRN as "a 12-digit code that identifies the property, flat, building, or plot of land being assessed". UPRNs were added to the data in November 2021, and the UPRN_SOURCE field can be blank or hold legacy values where a UPRN was not available or matched at the time. Count how many rows in your download carry one before relying on it.
- Fall back to postcode and address with checks. Multi-let buildings produce several certificates at one postcode, so match the unit as well as the street.
- Keep the latest certificate per property. LODGEMENT_DATE is the date the certificate was added to the register. Under regulation 22 of the 2015 MEES Regulations a certificate is valid only if it was entered no more than 10 years before it is relied on and no other EPC has been entered since.
- Compare the band. ASSET_RATING_BAND converts the asset rating to an A+ to G scale. Whether a letting is affected depends on the tenancy and any exemption, which the data does not hold.
- Join the recommendations. In the CSV, certificate numbers link certificates to their recommendations. In the API, certificate numbers fetch non-domestic recommendation reports.
- Verify the gaps. A property missing from the data may have no EPC, may have opted out or may be matched under another address. Check the register before concluding anything.
In March 2026 certificate numbers were added and the previous identifier, LMK_KEY, was removed, and MHCLG says certificate numbers cannot be linked to the former LMK_KEY, so a lookup table built on LMK_KEY will not carry across. If you manage a portfolio and want certificates checked or new ones arranged, you can send an enquiry through the form on this site.
When are the published statistics enough?
If you need totals rather than records, use MHCLG's live tables. Table A covers non-domestic EPCs by asset rating and Table DEC1 covers Display Energy Certificates by local authority and operational rating. Their cover sheets say the data is aligned to the address-level data on Open Data Communities, so your own count can differ from a published figure. Two pages here work from Table A: commercial EPC ratings in England and Wales and London commercial EPC ratings by borough.
What about Scottish certificates?
Scotland keeps a separate register, and the England and Wales service does not cover it. The Scottish register says its search facility only allows access to an individual and that using any automated software program to access the register or website is prohibited. For bulk work it points to published data extracts, which it says are published by the Scottish Government and updated quarterly. There are four, valid and historic for each of domestic and non-domestic, and the Scottish Government says they do not include assessor names or Green Deal data. A Scottish Government document published on 24 August 2026 says the register holds records, historic and valid, for over 84,000 non-domestic EPCs. Central lodgement was phased in, so not all EPCs are on it.
Sources
- Get energy performance of buildings data, Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, checked 22 October 2026, and its guidance: access options, how the data is produced, limitations, linking recommendations, format changes, licensing, data protection, API guidance, API documentation, data dictionary and the non-domestic dictionary.
- Live tables on Energy Performance of Buildings Certificates, Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, updated 7 September 2026, checked 22 October 2026; Table A workbook published 30 July 2026.
- Regulation 22 of the 2015 MEES Regulations, legislation.gov.uk, checked 22 October 2026.
- Open Government Licence v3.0, The National Archives, checked 22 October 2026.
- Scottish Energy Performance Certificate Register and its data extracts page, checked 22 October 2026.
- Energy Performance of Buildings (Scotland) Regulations 2025 as amended: data protection impact assessment, Scottish Government (gov.scot), published 24 August 2026, checked 22 October 2026.
Common questions
Do I need an account to download the data?
Yes. The service says you need to sign in or create a GOV.UK One Login account to download bulk certificate data, and the API guidance says the same account is used to receive a bearer token.
Can I publish a list of addresses and ratings?
Only within the terms of the Ordnance Survey and Royal Mail notice. It permits address data solely for listed energy-efficiency purposes, requires the notice to travel with any address data you share, and says other uses need a licence from Ordnance Survey.
How current is the data?
The service says CSV downloads are updated on the first day of each month and the API daily. The published statistics follow a separate quarterly schedule, with the next release due on 29 October 2026.
Is the dataset the same as the register?
No. The register is the lookup for one property, and the data service is for bulk analysis. The data leaves out cancelled certificates, opted-out buildings and those with a Green Deal loan, so absence from it does not prove a building has no EPC.