EPC Calculator

EPC rating D: meaning, is it bad, and the cost to C

Band D is 55 to 68 points. You can sell or let a D home today, but it is below the planned 2030 band C for rentals. Typical running cost and average cost to C.

2 min read, Review scheduled for 2026-11-25

What a D means

A D is a score of 55 to 68 points. The top of D is one point from C, the bottom 16 points away. Ask "what is my exact score?" before you ask "what is my band?", because a 67 and a 56 need very different work.

Is D bad?

It is ordinary. In England in 2024, 35% of homes were in band D, down from 43% in 2022 (EHS 2024-25). The median home in Wales scores 68, the top of D (ONS). A D is a sign of room to improve, not a defect.

What a D allows today

You want to With a D
Live in the home No rule requires a better band for owners
Sell Allowed. A valid EPC is needed before marketing (GOV.UK)
Let privately in England or Wales Allowed: the minimum is E (GOV.UK)
Keep letting after 1 October 2030 Band C needed under confirmed government policy, not yet law (GOV.UK response)

What a D costs to run

The English Housing Survey's modelled energy cost for a band D home was £1,561 a year in 2022, compared with £1,081 for bands A to C (EHS 2022-23). That gap of about £480 is a modelled average, based on standard heating patterns. Your certificate's own typical costs are a better guide for your home.

What it costs to get from D to C

The survey's estimate is £6,002 on average for a D-rated home to reach C, roughly half the cost from E (£12,430) (EHS 2024-25). Averages hide a wide spread. A home at 67 may get there with low-energy lighting or loft top-up alone, while one at 56 may need wall insulation or a new heating system.

Your own route

  1. Find your certificate on the register and note the exact score.
  2. Copy the recommended measures, with the cost and points shown for each, into the calculator above.
  3. It tests the combinations and shows the cheapest set that reaches 69.

Each recommendation on a certificate is calculated after the ones before it. The gain from a measure therefore depends on what was done first. Confirm with a new EPC after the works.

Landlords with a D

Spending you make now may count later. Under the government response of January 2026, measures installed from 1 October 2025 count towards the planned £10,000 cap (GOV.UK response). Keep invoices. The landlord calculator shows what is left to spend under the cap.