Dear Sandra

We have completed a compliance review of Energy Performance of Buildings Certificates (EPC) statistics produced by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) against the standards of the Code of Practice for Statistics (the Code). These statistics are currently published as official statistics. Our review considered how the statistics have been developed in relation to the Code and whether there are any areas for improvement.

Based on the findings of our review, we conclude that the statistics meet the standards of Trustworthiness, Quality and Value in the Code. Key strengths we identified include: the clarity with which the team presents the methodology and quality assurance process; engagement with stakeholders ahead of tentative policy changes; and the comprehensive user engagement the team is planning. Our review identifies a small number of recommendations to improve the statistics, including improving some aspects of how the statistics are presented, providing information about the comparability of the statistics, and publishing documents required by the updated Code of Practice for Statistics (Code 3.0).

We expect MHCLG to have implemented Code 3.0 by August 2026, and to provide a public update on its progress against our recommendations by the end of November 2026.

I am grateful for the positive engagement from you and your team – in particular, for acting promptly on feedback raised by my team during the review.

I am copying this letter to Claire Smith, Principal Statistician Energy Efficiency and EPCs, and Chauncey Glass, Head of Housing Evidence, Research and Surveys.

Yours sincerely

Dr Anna Price
Assessment Programme Lead