Commercial building EPC ratings by council: how many fall below the letting minimum
Since April 2023, a commercial building in England and Wales rated F or G cannot be let, or have a lease continue, unless an exemption applies. This page shows, for every council, how the non-domestic energy certificates lodged over the last ten years are rated.
Across England and Wales, 3% of these certificates are rated F or G, 12.4% are rated E and 26.5% are rated B or better.
What the rules say
- Current law: a privately rented non-domestic building in England and Wales must be rated E or better to be let, or for an existing lease to continue, unless a registered exemption applies.
- Proposed, not yet law: the government's interim response of 18 June 2026 would require buildings over 1,000 m² to reach EPC B from 2031, where cost effective. Smaller buildings would stay at E. The earlier proposal of EPC C by 2027 has been dropped.
- Non-domestic minimum energy efficiency standard: landlord guidance (GOV.UK)
- MEES in the non-domestic private rented sector: interim response, 18 June 2026 (GOV.UK)
- EPC and MEES for commercial landlords
Highest share rated F or G
| Rank | Council | Certificates | F or G | E | B or better |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Breckland (East of England) | 1,965 | 7.6% | 18.4% | 23.5% |
| 2 | Powys (Wales) | 1,966 | 7.3% | 15% | 15% |
| 3 | Ceredigion (Wales) | 930 | 6.9% | 17.2% | 16% |
| 3 | Nottingham (East Midlands) | 6,248 | 6.9% | 17.1% | 21% |
| 5 | North Norfolk (East of England) | 1,703 | 6.4% | 14.1% | 19.7% |
| 6 | Hinckley and Bosworth (East Midlands) | 1,820 | 6.3% | 18.4% | 23% |
| 6 | Torridge (South West) | 981 | 6.3% | 14.2% | 23.9% |
| 8 | Broadland (East of England) | 1,464 | 5.8% | 12.4% | 27.2% |
| 8 | Carmarthenshire (Wales) | 2,252 | 5.8% | 13.5% | 24.4% |
| 8 | North East Lincolnshire (Yorkshire and the Humber) | 2,498 | 5.8% | 16.7% | 17.7% |
| 11 | North Lincolnshire (Yorkshire and the Humber) | 2,435 | 5.7% | 14.1% | 21.7% |
| 12 | Conwy (Wales) | 2,043 | 5.6% | 16.8% | 16.8% |
| 13 | Denbighshire (Wales) | 1,700 | 5.4% | 15.8% | 21.1% |
| 13 | Gwynedd (Wales) | 2,022 | 5.4% | 13.9% | 16.6% |
| 13 | Pendle (North West) | 1,035 | 5.4% | 17.3% | 16.9% |
| 13 | South Holland (East Midlands) | 1,307 | 5.4% | 16.1% | 23.3% |
| 17 | Amber Valley (East Midlands) | 1,917 | 5.3% | 14.7% | 18.9% |
| 17 | Stoke-on-Trent (West Midlands) | 4,357 | 5.3% | 16.1% | 19.9% |
| 19 | Staffordshire Moorlands (West Midlands) | 1,143 | 5.2% | 15.6% | 19.2% |
| 20 | Isle of Wight (South East) | 2,149 | 5.1% | 13.9% | 15.4% |
| 20 | Rutland (East Midlands) | 712 | 5.1% | 11.5% | 36.5% |
| 22 | Neath Port Talbot (Wales) | 1,586 | 5% | 14.6% | 21.1% |
| 23 | Mid Devon (South West) | 1,115 | 4.8% | 16.2% | 19.8% |
| 24 | Middlesbrough (North East) | 2,221 | 4.7% | 11% | 27% |
| 25 | East Lindsey (East Midlands) | 2,499 | 4.6% | 16.1% | 19.3% |
Lowest share rated F or G
| Rank | Council | Certificates | F or G | E | B or better |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 317 | Eastleigh (South East) | 1,826 | 0.8% | 8.5% | 29.8% |
| 316 | Woking (South East) | 1,432 | 1% | 7.8% | 35.7% |
| 314 | Spelthorne (South East) | 1,368 | 1.1% | 12.1% | 28.8% |
| 314 | Havant (South East) | 1,653 | 1.1% | 8.2% | 29.3% |
| 313 | Rushmoor (South East) | 1,517 | 1.2% | 12.5% | 29.5% |
| 312 | Bracknell Forest (South East) | 1,409 | 1.3% | 9.5% | 35.4% |
| 310 | Redditch (West Midlands) | 1,609 | 1.4% | 15.7% | 20.8% |
| 310 | Crawley (South East) | 1,892 | 1.4% | 9.8% | 32.3% |
| 305 | Tower Hamlets (London) | 6,709 | 1.5% | 9.4% | 31.5% |
| 305 | Runnymede (South East) | 1,312 | 1.5% | 10% | 33.9% |
| 305 | Milton Keynes (South East) | 5,308 | 1.5% | 9.6% | 34.3% |
| 305 | Harlow (East of England) | 1,423 | 1.5% | 11.4% | 24.4% |
| 305 | City of London (London) | 5,023 | 1.5% | 11.6% | 39.7% |
| 303 | Uttlesford (East of England) | 1,383 | 1.6% | 12.4% | 27.8% |
| 303 | Ribble Valley (North West) | 1,131 | 1.6% | 11.1% | 28% |
| 300 | Watford (East of England) | 1,903 | 1.7% | 10.6% | 33% |
| 300 | Slough (South East) | 2,127 | 1.7% | 9.1% | 33.4% |
| 300 | Bexley (London) | 2,993 | 1.7% | 11.1% | 27.4% |
| 290 | York (Yorkshire and the Humber) | 3,722 | 1.8% | 10.4% | 29.4% |
| 290 | Redbridge (London) | 3,034 | 1.8% | 9.9% | 22.8% |
| 290 | Portsmouth (South East) | 3,393 | 1.8% | 9.6% | 28.4% |
| 290 | Plymouth (South West) | 4,164 | 1.8% | 11.6% | 26.8% |
| 290 | Maidstone (South East) | 2,408 | 1.8% | 13.4% | 27.9% |
| 290 | Chelmsford (East of England) | 2,706 | 1.8% | 11% | 32.6% |
| 290 | Castle Point (East of England) | 968 | 1.8% | 10.7% | 26.9% |
How the figures are worked out
- We add up the non-domestic EPCs lodged in each council over the last ten years, because an EPC is valid for ten years, and show the share in each rating band.
- These are certificates, not buildings. A building can have more than one certificate, and only buildings that are sold, let or built need one, so the figures describe the certified stock, not every building.
- Councils abolished in 2020 to 2023 are counted in the council that replaced them. Councils with fewer than 200 certificates are left out of the ranking.
- Scotland and Northern Ireland have their own EPC rules and registers and are not included.
Source
Live tables on Energy Performance of Buildings Certificates, Table A: non-domestic EPCs by local authority, Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (Open Government Licence v3.0).