How to read a commercial EPC recommendation report
Updated 19 October 2026 · SEO Dons Editorial
A commercial EPC recommendation report is the list of improvements identified for that building, grouped by how quickly each measure might pay for itself and rated by its potential impact on carbon emissions. It comes with the EPC unless there is no reasonable potential for improvement, it is valid alongside the certificate, and it is advice rather than an instruction. Landlords use it as the starting point for reaching or keeping the EPC E minimum.
What is a recommendation report?
The Energy Performance of Buildings (England and Wales) Regulations 2012 define a recommendation report as recommendations made by an energy assessor for the cost-effective improvement of the energy performance of a building. A commercial EPC must include one unless there is no reasonable potential for improvement compared with the energy performance requirements in force.
The report is not written from a blank page. The government guide to EPCs for non-dwellings explains that the approved software uses the information the assessor provides, together with standard performance tables, to produce both the EPC and the recommendation report. The regulations require every recommended measure to be technically feasible for the building, and the guide adds that the list only includes improvements appropriate to the building that was assessed.
A report included in an EPC stops being valid ten years from the date of that certificate, and neither document is valid until it has been lodged on the register. On the GOV.UK register the report has its own page, linked from the certificate.
What does the report contain?
The regulations set out four things that every recommendation report made on or after 9 January 2013 must include:
- cost-effective measures that could be carried out as part of a major renovation of the building envelope or technical building systems
- cost-effective measures for individual building elements that do not need a major renovation
- an indication of how the owner or tenant can get more detailed information, including on the cost-effectiveness of the recommendations
- information on the steps to take to put the recommendations into practice
In the regulations, technical building systems means the equipment for heating, cooling, ventilation, hot water and lighting, and a major renovation is one where more than 25% of the surface area of the building envelope is renovated. So the report deliberately mixes quick, contained jobs with measures that only make sense during a bigger refurbishment.
On the register, a recommendation report page shows the building's energy rating with a link back to the EPC, then the recommendations, then a property and report details section with the date the report was issued, the total useful floor area, the building environment and the calculation tool used. The assessor's details and accreditation scheme follow.
How do the payback groups work?
The government guide says recommendations are given in four categories: short-term payback of less than 3 years, medium-term payback of between 3 and 7 years, long-term payback of more than 7 years, and other recommendations based on the assessor's own knowledge. An indicative payback is noted for each recommendation.
On the current GOV.UK register the software groups appear under plain-English headings, and each measure carries a rating of its potential impact on carbon emissions: low, medium or high. The examples below show the standard wording from one recommendation report on the register:
| Register heading | Example recommendation | Potential impact shown |
|---|---|---|
| Changes that may pay for themselves within 3 years | Add time control to heating system. | Medium |
| Changes that may pay for themselves within 3 years | Some walls have uninsulated cavities - introduce cavity wall insulation. | Medium |
| Changes that may pay for themselves within 3 to 7 years | Consider installing an air source heat pump. | High |
| Changes that may pay for themselves in over 7 years | Consider installing PV. | Low |
Three points make the groups easier to read:
- Payback and impact are separate measures. A measure in a longer payback group can still be rated high impact, and a quick win can be rated low. Read both columns before deciding what matters most.
- Paybacks are indicative. They come from the software's standard assumptions, not from prices for your building, so they rank options rather than set a budget.
- The list reflects what the model recorded. If the report recommends adding something the building already has, such as time control on the heating, the assessment may not have recorded it. That is worth raising with the assessor before spending money, and what to do if your commercial EPC looks wrong explains how.
How do you turn the report into a plan?
Treat the report as a shortlist, not a specification. A practical sequence for a commercial building:
- Check the property and report details first. The floor area, building environment and calculation tool should match the building and the EPC.
- Separate measures you can do at a natural moment, such as when plant is due for replacement or a unit is empty between tenants, from those that only make sense during a major renovation.
- Get prices and specifications from installers for the measures you are considering, because the report gives indicative paybacks rather than costs.
- Ask an accredited assessor which combination is likely to move the band you need, since the report rates potential impact but does not give a revised score for each measure.
- Once the works are finished, commission a new EPC. The improvement only shows on the register when a new certificate is lodged.
If the building is rated F or G and you need an order of attack, Rated F or G? What it means and how to fix it covers the usual improvement options from the cheapest up.
How do landlords use the report for MEES?
For landlords, the report matters because of the minimum energy efficiency standard. Since 1 April 2018, a non-domestic landlord in England and Wales has only been able to grant, extend or renew a tenancy where the property has at least an EPC E, unless a valid exemption is registered. From 1 April 2023, continuing to let a property below that standard is also a breach.
The recommendations are the natural list of improvements to price up first, and some exemptions are tied to them. For example, the government's landlord guidance describes an exemption where a recommended measure does not meet a 7 year payback test, and that exemption expires after a set period. The tests, the evidence and how registration works are set out on the MEES compliance page; the point here is that those decisions usually start from this report.
Keep the report with the certificate. The standard is enforced by local weights and measures authorities, and a compliance notice can ask for the EPC that was valid when the property was let, along with information on the energy efficiency improvements made. If the building has no current EPC, or works since the last one should change the result, you can request quotes for a new commercial EPC through this site's form.
Is a DEC advisory report the same thing?
No. Public buildings that need a Display Energy Certificate (DEC) get an advisory report, which accompanies a certificate based on the building's measured energy use rather than the EPC model. The DEC guide describes similar groupings, from short-term payback of up to 3 years (for example building energy management measures) to long-term payback of more than 7 years (for example low and zero carbon technologies). The validity rules differ too: for buildings over 1,000 square metres the DEC lasts 12 months and the advisory report 7 years. The two documents are not interchangeable.
Sources
- The Energy Performance of Buildings (England and Wales) Regulations 2012, regulation 4, legislation.gov.uk, checked 19 October 2026.
- The Energy Performance of Buildings (England and Wales) Regulations 2012, regulation 9, legislation.gov.uk, checked 19 October 2026.
- A guide to Energy Performance Certificates for the construction, sale and let of non-dwellings, Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (GOV.UK), checked 19 October 2026.
- Find an energy certificate, GOV.UK register (search page, plus the standard wording shown on non-domestic EPC and recommendation report pages), checked 19 October 2026.
- Non-domestic private rented property: minimum energy efficiency standard - landlord guidance, Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (GOV.UK), checked 19 October 2026.
- A guide to display energy certificates and advisory reports for public buildings, Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (GOV.UK), checked 19 October 2026.
Common questions
Do I have to carry out the measures in the recommendation report?
Not because the report says so. The government guide states there is no statutory requirement to carry out any of the recommended measures. A landlord may still need improvements to meet the EPC E minimum for letting, unless a valid exemption is registered.
Why does the report recommend something my building already has?
The software produces recommendations from the data the assessor recorded, so a recommendation for an existing feature can point to an input that was missed or not evidenced. Raise it with the assessor and include documents such as commissioning records or product data sheets.
Can an assessor add recommendations of their own?
Yes. The government guide lists a fourth category, other recommendations based on the energy assessor's knowledge, alongside the software's payback groups.
How long does a recommendation report last?
A report included in an EPC stops being valid ten years from the date of that certificate. It is replaced sooner if a newer EPC is lodged for the building, because only the most recent certificate on the register is valid.
Does the report say what each measure will cost?
No. It gives indicative paybacks and a low, medium or high rating for potential impact on carbon emissions, not prices. Installer quotes are needed to cost the work.