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EPC Benchmark

Independent EPC analysis

Band guide

EPC rating D explained: scores 55 to 68

A domestic EPC rating D means the property’s modelled energy efficiency score falls between 55 and 68 on the 1–100 scale. Band D is the most common band in the analysed England and Wales data, covering 36.0% of current properties.

Band D range:D55toD68

What a D usually reflects

Band D covers scores from 55 to 68. The letter alone does not identify a home’s age, condition or improvement history. Two homes in band D can have different recorded characteristics and recommendations.

Compare the score with a clearly labelled published group to add context. A score below that group’s median describes its position in the group; it does not show why the difference exists or prove that other homes have carried out improvements. Read the property’s own certificate for its recorded features and recommendations.

What the score does and does not mean

What it does mean

  • A modelled score between 55 and 68 produced from the features the assessor recorded, using standard assumptions about occupancy and heating patterns.
  • A snapshot of the building as assessed on the certificate date, not as it stands after later work.
  • A comparable measure across homes, which is what makes benchmarking against similar properties possible.

What it does not mean

  • It is not a measurement of your actual bills, which depend on how many people live there, the temperatures you keep and energy prices.
  • It is not a condition survey, valuation or safety inspection.
  • It is not a judgement that a home is poorly built: age and construction type limit what a score can realistically reach.

The band letters and their score ranges follow the Office for National Statistics analysis of housing energy efficiency in England and Wales. See the full A–G band scale and score ranges.

What band D means if you own or let the home

If you own and live there

A D gives you a starting point rather than a verdict. The useful questions are how the score compares with genuinely similar homes, which recorded elements are pulling it down, and whether the certificate still describes the building accurately. If work has been done since the assessment date, the published rating may understate the home.

If you let the home

Minimum energy efficiency standards for privately rented homes in England and Wales have changed over time and include exemptions and registration steps, so we do not state a legal threshold or deadline here. Read the current government landlord guidance on the domestic minimum energy efficiency standard for the position that applies to your property, and take professional advice where the answer matters commercially.

If you are buying or selling

The certificate is one input alongside a survey. Look at the recorded elements — walls, roof, windows, heating and controls — rather than the letter, and check the assessment date. What an EPC contains and how long it stays valid is set out in the GOV.UK guidance on energy performance certificates when selling a home. If you are preparing to market the home, our guide to selling a house with an EPC sets out what to arrange before marketing, and checking how long an EPC remains valid explains when an existing certificate can still be used.

Improvement routes, and why they are property-dependent

Official EPC reports set out recommended measures in an ordered list, where later measures assume the earlier ones have been carried out. That is why a certificate should be read as a sequence for one specific building rather than a menu that applies to every band D home.

  • Fabric first

    Fabric measures deal with how much heat the building loses: floors, lofts, walls and draughts. Assessors often record these earliest in the sequence, but whether any of them apply depends entirely on the construction recorded for the property.

  • Controls and heating

    Heating controls and heat generators appear where the recorded system is older or poorly controlled. What is appropriate varies with the existing system, the fuel and the layout, so this is a category to investigate rather than a prescription.

  • Renewables

    Measures such as solar water heating or photovoltaics appear on some certificates. Their suitability depends on roof orientation, shading, hot water demand and the condition of the existing system.

These are categories, not recommendations. EPC Benchmark does not prescribe works and does not attach an expected point gain to any individual measure. Our guide to improving an EPC rating explains how to use your own certificate’s recommendations and check which measures suit the property. Our methodology page explains how measures are joined to a certificate.

Worked example: houses built 1930–1949, England and Wales

This is a published national archetype from the analysed release of 27,654,564 domestic certificate-history rows, reduced to 19,324,312 current properties.

Property type
House
Construction age
1930–1949
Properties published
1,825,282
Median current score
63 (band D)
Mean current score
61.3
Mean potential score
80.6
Mean potential gap
19.3
Share in band D
55.3%

A home of this type scoring below 63 sits under the median for this archetype. Groups smaller than 5 properties are not published, so some views are unavailable for smaller districts.

A score of 62 is seven points below the lower boundary of band C (69). This is a score difference, not a prediction that any particular improvement will add seven points.

A score of 60 in this group is band D and three points below the group's median of 63, and 69 would be the first score in band C. That is scale arithmetic, not a forecast of any improvement.

Every figure on this site comes from the published aggregate files in this release: national totals from national.json, district views from the matching postcode-district file, and national type-and-age groups from archetypes.json. Each page draws only on the files relevant to the figures it shows.

Compare an EPC score

Most frequently recorded recommendations for this archetype

  1. 1Solar photovoltaic panels1,767,979 properties
  2. 2Floor insulation1,521,303 properties
  3. 3Solar water heating1,469,911 properties
  4. 4Cavity wall insulation1,106,076 properties
  5. 5Low-energy lighting911,446 properties

Data note: Recommendation figures are associations with a certificate's total potential SAP gap, not item-specific causal uplifts. The average shown is the average total current-to-potential certificate gap for properties carrying that recommendation. It is not the point uplift of that measure, and it does not show cause and effect. No cost estimates are shown, because this release does not contain validated current costs.

Limitations you should keep in mind

  • EPC ratings are modelled, not metered, so two similar homes can differ because of recorded assumptions rather than real performance.
  • A certificate can be out of date if insulation, glazing or heating has changed since the assessment.
  • Band D spans fourteen points, so the letter alone hides large differences within the band.
  • Comparisons use recorded attributes only; anything the assessor did not record cannot be compared on.
  • This release publishes aggregate views separately and does not combine district, property type and construction age in one cell.
  • No costs or savings are shown, because this release does not contain validated current costs.

Frequently asked questions

What score is an EPC rating D?

Band D covers energy efficiency ratings from 55 to 68 on the 1–100 domestic EPC scale. A home at 55 and a home at 68 are both band D, so the underlying score is more informative than the letter.

Is an EPC D good or bad?

It is neither. Band D is the most common band for existing homes in the analysed England and Wales data. Whether a D is reasonable for a particular home depends on its age, construction, size and what genuinely comparable homes achieve.

Can a home be let with an EPC rating D?

Minimum energy efficiency rules for privately rented homes in England and Wales change over time and include exemptions, so we do not state a legal position here. Check the current government landlord guidance for the rules that apply to your property today.

How do I raise an EPC from D to C?

There is no fixed route. The EPC report for your property lists recommended measures in a recorded order, and what applies depends on the construction, heating system and features the assessor recorded. We do not attach a point gain to any individual measure.

How long is an EPC valid for?

A domestic EPC is normally valid for ten years, and a valid certificate can usually be reused when selling or letting again within that period. The official selling-a-home guidance sets out the current position.

Where can I find my home's EPC?

Certificates for England, Wales and Northern Ireland are published on the government's Find an energy certificate service. EPC Benchmark does not hold or display address-level certificates.

Sources

Official sources used on this page. Guidance changes, so always check the current version for the legal position.