Energy performance certificates filings for domestic and non-domestic properties in England and Wales fell 7% to 444,000 in the three months to September, compared to a year ago.  

Over the year to September, energy performance certificate filings in England fell 3% to 1.6m, and in Wales these green building ratings slipped 1% to 80,000, according to the Department for Levelling Up Housing & Communities.  

The data comes as the government announced a major U-turn on its climate commitments last month.  

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak pushed back plans to phase out gas boilers with heat pumps to 2035 — from 2026, but added: “We’ll never force anyone to rip out their existing boiler and replace it with a heat pump.”     

He also pledged to scrap moves to force landlords to upgrade energy efficiency in their homes, but would “encourage” households to do so.  

The old policy was that from 2025, new tenancies would only be possible on properties with an energy performance certificate of C or higher – from 2028, this would apply to existing tenancies as well.   

However, some property professionals point out that the decline in energy performance certificate filings may be due to an easing of housebuilding and mortgage activity, as a result of the Bank of England raising the base rate 14 times since December 2021 to 5.25%.