Shops and retail units
Commercial EPC for Shops
Why shops often rate lower than owners expect, and what to do about it.
Why shops often get a low rating
A shop is a small space with bright lighting and a glass front. Those two things drive the rating more than anything else.
Many older London shops come out at D or E on their first EPC. Shops with halogen spotlights and electric heaters are often F. That is not a problem with the business. It is the fittings, and fittings are cheap to change.
Almost all shops are Level 3, which means a fixed price by floor area. The only exception is a shop with air conditioning across the whole sales floor, which is Level 4 and quoted individually.
Energy rating
CO₂ emissions score
- A0 to 25Most efficient
- B26 to 50
- C51 to 75
- D76 to 100
- E101 to 125
- F126 to 150
- G151+Least efficient
Lower scores are better. New commercial buildings typically target B or better. Sub E ratings cannot legally be let under MEES.
What affects the rating
In order of impact. Knowing them helps you prioritise improvements if your rating needs to come up.
Lighting
High impactHalogen spotlights are the worst. Fluorescent tubes are middling. LED is the best. Changing to LED often moves a shop up a whole band, and usually pays for itself in under two years.
The shopfront
High impactA single glazed front loses a lot of heat. Double glazing helps. So does an air curtain over a door that is kept open.
Heating
Medium impactElectric panel heaters and fan heaters score badly. A gas boiler with radiators scores better. No fixed heating at all means the assessor assumes a default, and the default is not generous.
Doors kept open
Medium impactNormal for a shop, and it counts. Tell the assessor if there is an air curtain or an over door heater.
Back rooms
Low impactStorerooms, an office, a staff kitchen and a toilet are each recorded separately. An unheated stockroom does not count against you.
Empty shells
Variable impactA unit with no lighting or heating fitted is assessed on default assumptions, and those are poor. Get the EPC done after the basic fit out if you can.
The rules for letting a shop
Shops change tenant more than most buildings, and each change is a point where the EPC is checked.
- You need a valid EPC for every new lease and every change of tenant. Solicitors will ask for it.
- The shop must be rated E or better to be let. An F or G shop cannot be let without a registered exemption.
- The minimum is expected to rise to C in 2027. Not yet law, but if your shop is rated D the recommendations report shows what it would take.
- Small shops are not exempt. The under 50 m² rule only applies to a building standing on its own.
How Kubo works
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Pick your service, enter your floor area, and see a fixed price in 60 seconds. Or call 07737 144 836.
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Pay securely online or over the phone. We confirm your slot the same day, often within the hour.
Certified in days
We contact you to schedule the visit, then complete your order as soon as possible.
Frequently asked questions
How much is a commercial EPC for a shop?
A fixed price by floor area. Put your floor area into the quote calculator for your fixed price. It includes the visit, the certificate, the recommendations report and lodgement.
My shop is only 40 m². Is it exempt?
Only if it is a building standing on its own. A unit in a parade, a terrace or a shopping centre needs an EPC whatever its size.
Do I need a new EPC when a new tenant takes over?
You need a valid one. If the existing EPC is less than ten years old and the shop has not been significantly changed, you can reuse it. If it has expired or the fit out has changed a lot, you need a new one before marketing the shop.
What is the cheapest way to improve a shop rating?
Lighting. Changing halogen or fluorescent fittings to LED is the lowest cost change with the biggest effect. Heating controls are usually next. Your recommendations report lists these in order.
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