The Scottish Government has confirmed that new Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) regulations will come into effect on 31st October 2026. This marks the biggest EPC overhaul in a decade. It focuses on delivering clearer and more meaningful information to property owners and tenants, and helping drive Scotland’s net zero ambitions.
Key changes include a new three-metric EPC rating system for homes, covering Heat Retention, Heating System, and Energy Cost, replacing the older single-number approach.
Both domestic and non-domestic EPCs will only be valid for five years instead of ten, and a new digital platform will let users to see upgrade options and their impact on EPC ratings.
The methodology behind EPCs will move to a UK-wide Home Energy Model (HEM), replacing the old SAP/RdSAP system for more better results.
Existing EPCs will be phased out. There will be a short transition period, after which only certificates produced under the new way will be valid. Quality assurance and onsite audits will increase, with the government recruiting a new team of inspectors for ongoing compliance checks.
These reforms set a clear target and timeline for the whole industry. They aim to modernise EPC design and methodology for a more transparent, accurate energy reporting across Scotland’s property sector.
Joe Brennan our Property Certification Manager commented:
“It will be interesting to see if England and Wales follow Scotland’s lead with EPC reform, as adopting a similar model would be a major change for the sector. The details of rollout and any grace period for customers will be crucial. The new Scottish model emphasises renewable heating solutions like heat pumps and now includes technologies such as battery storage, which previous versions did not account for.”
