EPC bands explained
EPC Rating G: The Lowest Band, and What It Means for Your Home
Band G is the bottom of the EPC scale. It cannot be let privately in England and Wales without a registered exemption, but G-rated homes are the top priority for funded upgrades.
- SAP score
- 1 to 20 out of 100
- Share of rated homes
- 0.8%
- Letting a home rated G
- Not without a registered exemption (minimum is E)
- Next band up
- F, from 21 points
Step 1 of 3
Is your home rated G? Check the register
Enter your postcode to see the property's current rating, its expiry date and the recommendations on its certificate.
What an EPC rating of G means
An EPC rating of G means the property scored between 1 and 20 out of 100 on the Standard Assessment Procedure (SAP) scale. Almost every element the assessor checks, from walls and roof to heating and lighting, is rated poor or very poor.
| Band | SAP score | What it means |
|---|---|---|
A | 92–100 | |
B | 81–91 | |
C | 69–80 | Proposed minimum for private rentals from 1 October 2030 |
D | 55–68 | |
E | 39–54 | Current legal minimum to let a home |
F | 21–38 | |
G | 1–20 | This page |
What assessors typically find in a band G home
- Solid walls with no insulation, common in pre-1919 houses and converted flats
- No loft insulation, or an uninsulated room-in-roof
- Electric room heaters, storage heaters or an open fire as the main heating
- An immersion tank with no jacket, or no fixed hot water system at all
- Single glazing and no draught-proofing
- Assumed defaults: where an assessor cannot see insulation, the certificate assumes none
These are the features that usually produce a G rating, not a description of any one home. The certificate itself lists what the assessor recorded and the improvements they judged worthwhile.
How many homes are rated G?
0.8% of the 19.7 million rated properties in EPC Advisor's register dataset are band G, which is 163,141 homes across England and Wales. Band G is the rarest rating on the register; 52% of homes are below C, the proposed 2030 standard for private rentals.
Shares are calculated from the most recent certificate held for each property in the dataset, not every home in England and Wales. Statistics updated June 2026.
Can you let, sell or remortgage a band G home?
Letting: not without an exemption
In England and Wales the Minimum Energy Efficiency Standard (MEES) makes band E the lowest rating a privately rented home can have. A G-rated property can only be let if the landlord has registered a valid exemption on the PRS Exemptions Register. The main routes are having spent the £3,500 cost cap (including VAT) without reaching E, being unable to get a tenant's, lender's or freeholder's consent, or evidence that the work would devalue the property. Local authorities enforce the rule, with fines currently up to £5,000 per property.
The government confirmed in January 2026 its intention to raise the minimum to band C for private tenancies from 1 October 2030, with a £10,000 per-property cost cap and fines of up to £30,000. That remains policy intention until legislation passes. See EPC rules for landlords 2025 to 2030 for the full picture.
Selling: allowed, with a valid certificate
There is no minimum rating for a sale. You need a valid EPC before the home is marketed, and a G rating will be visible on the listing. Buyers may use it to negotiate, and some lenders ask about the rating when valuing a property, but it does not stop a sale. If the certificate is more than ten years old you will need a new one; the lookup above shows the expiry date.
Living in it: no requirement, but a cost
Owner-occupiers face no legal requirement to improve a G-rated home. The cost is in the bills: the rating is a measure of how much energy the home needs per square metre, so the gap between G and the average band D shows up every winter.
Where band G homes are concentrated
The share of G-rated homes varies far more between areas than most people expect. In 34 of the 346 local authorities with at least 5,000 rated homes, the share is 1.7% or more, at least double the national figure.
| Local authority | Band G | Homes |
|---|---|---|
| Gwynedd | 6.3% | 2,507 |
| Ceredigion | 5.3% | 1,299 |
| Isle of Anglesey | 5.3% | 1,305 |
| Powys | 4.4% | 1,905 |
| West Devon | 3.6% | 710 |
| Cornwall | 3.2% | 6,796 |
| Pembrokeshire | 3.1% | 1,305 |
| Torridge | 3% | 781 |
| Carmarthenshire | 3% | 1,777 |
| Denbighshire | 2.7% | 899 |
Highest share of band G among authorities with at least 5,000 rated properties. Each area page shows the full band distribution and the districts within it. Browse every area.
What G-rated certificates say
Across 102,379 band G certificates lodged in the last ten years, the average score is 11.6 out of 100. Assessors recorded a potential rating of F or better for 98% of them, and C or better for 63%.
The most common main heating fuel is electricity, on 38% of certificates. That is why the recommendations below lean on insulation and generation rather than a boiler swap: many of these homes have no gas boiler to replace.
Most common recommendations on band G certificates
| Recommendation | Share of certificates |
|---|---|
| Solar photovoltaic panels, 2.5 kWp | 81% |
| Solar water heating | 73% |
| 50 mm internal or external wall insulation | 69% |
| Floor insulation (solid floor) | 57% |
| Low energy lighting for all fixed outlets | 48% |
| Floor insulation (suspended floor) | 37% |
| Replace single glazed windows with low-E double glazed windows | 36% |
| Draught proofing | 30% |
Property types
- House71%
- Flat14%
- Bungalow12%
- Maisonette2.4%
- Park home0.9%
Main heating fuel
- Electricity38%
- Mains gas10%
- No fixed heating or hot water system9.7%
- Oil9.2%
- Dual fuel (coal and wood)7.5%
Computed from the register snapshot of 31 May 2026. Certificates older than ten years are excluded because they have expired.
The cheapest route from G to F
Band F starts at 21 points, so the number of points a home needs is that threshold minus its current score. The certificate shows the score; the measures below are listed in ascending cost, with the point gains assessors typically record for them.
| Measure | Typical cost | Typical gain |
|---|---|---|
| Hot water cylinder jacket | £20–£50 | 1–3 points |
| LED lighting throughout | £50–£200 | 1–3 points |
| Draught-proofing windows and doors | £100–£300 | 1–3 points |
| Heating controls (programmer, thermostat, radiator valves) | £200–£500 | 3–8 points |
| Loft insulation where there is none, to 270mm | £300–£600 | 5–15 points |
| Cavity wall insulation (where suitable) | £800–£1,500 | 5–15 points |
| Replacing old electric heaters | £2,000–£5,000 | 10–30 points |
Basic measures such as loft insulation, a cylinder jacket and lighting cost £300 to £1,000 and are often enough to reach band F. G-rated homes usually have several severe deficiencies, so a fuller upgrade typically costs £2,000 to £8,000, before any grant.
The step-by-step version, with upgrade plans for different house types, is in How to improve an EPC from G to F. EPCs do not update themselves: after the work, a new assessment is needed to record the new rating.
Grants that target band G homes
The least efficient homes are the ones funded schemes are designed for. The three that matter for insulation and heating right now:
- Boiler Upgrade Scheme
Up to £7,500 off an air-source heat pump (or biomass). Open to most homeowners — not means-tested.
- Warm Homes: Local Grant
Council-delivered funding for insulation and low-carbon heating, aimed at lower-income households.
- ECO4
Energy-supplier funded insulation and heating upgrades for households on qualifying benefits. Runs until 31 December 2026.
Eligibility depends on the household and the council, not the rating alone. All current schemes.
Related guides
Band G questions
Band G is a SAP score of 1 to 20 out of 100, the lowest of the seven EPC bands. It means the home has very poor insulation and inefficient heating, so it costs far more to keep warm than an average home.
No, not in England and Wales without a registered exemption. The Minimum Energy Efficiency Standard sets band E as the minimum for privately rented homes. A landlord must improve the property to E, or register a valid exemption on the PRS Exemptions Register, before letting it. Fines are currently up to £5,000 per property.
Usually a combination of uninsulated solid walls, no loft insulation, electric or very old heating and single glazing. Assessors also record assumed values when they cannot inspect an element, so a G can reflect what could not be seen. If the certificate describes the home wrongly, it can be challenged.
Loft insulation, a cylinder jacket, LED lighting and heating controls cost £300 to £1,000 together and are often enough to reach band F. Tackling several deficiencies at once, including wall insulation or replacing electric heaters, more commonly costs £2,000 to £8,000.
Yes. ECO4 funds insulation and heating for households on qualifying benefits and prioritises the least efficient homes; it runs until 31 December 2026. The Warm Homes: Local Grant is delivered by councils in England for lower-income households, with availability varying by area. The Boiler Upgrade Scheme offers £7,500 towards a heat pump and is not means-tested.
The government confirmed in January 2026 its intention to require EPC C for private tenancies from 1 October 2030, with a £10,000 per-property cost cap and a cost-cap exemption once the final rules are in force. That is policy intention, not yet law. A G-rated rental must already reach band E or hold an exemption today, so planning the upgrade with C in mind avoids paying twice.
Enter the postcode in the lookup on this page and choose the address. It reads the current certificate from the official register and shows the rating, the expiry date and the recommendations the assessor recorded.