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April/May 2022 Update: EPC news update, new fire safety features and EPC integration video

The vital role of the EPC

The next couple of years are crucial to the country meeting its net-zero carbon aims and the EPC has a huge part to play in that.

Low-carbon technology and the move to net-zero has been one of our key priorities, as it is for our sister companies, so we’re all delighted to see reports like this from The Guardian which suggest that Homebuyers are now looking more closely at EPC ratings and other energy criteria when choosing their future home. These reports also suggest that Homebuyers are willing to pay more for properties with low-carbon technology installed such as heat pumps.

59% of Homebuyers have told estate agents that they are willing to buy a property mainly powered by renewable energy, and 71% of people have said that a property’s EPC rating is a major consideration when pursuing a property. On this basis, homes fitted with heat pumps are now pricing themselves higher than the average regional property.

We strongly believe the property’s floor plan plays a crucial role to provide accurate data about the property, highlighting how energy efficient it is and this is why we have already and are continuing to integrate with EPC software.

We highly recommend agents advise their clients who are selling, to update the EPC and floor plan with our new Quidos and zPlan integration (see video tip of the month for more info). 

zPlan Welcomes Fire Safety features

zPlan is pleased to announce the introduction of fire safety features.

These new icons will enable users to create fire safety plans with Local Authorities and we have received approval from users around the Bath area, that these are deemed acceptable for Fire Safety Plans for a Local Authority. These features offer users the perfect opportunity to add a new string to their bow when completing plans on HMOs and such like. 

The new features include:

  • Fire doors
  • Fire doors with heat seals
  • Smoke alarms
  • Heat detectors
  • Fire alarms
  • Fire Blankets
  • Fire Extinguishers & a ‘Key’ for them all to sit nicely into

 

We welcome your suggestions of any new features you would like to see added to the software moving forward – drop us a message with your recommendations here.

Video tip of the month – Quidos EPC integration

In our February Newsletter, we announced that zPlan had been integrated into Quidos’ EPC software – which is our sister company. zPlan now resides within the Quidos Mobile App as a tool for collecting data for EPCs.

The beta version includes:

  • Dimensional data (measurements, HLP, PW, corridor, etc)
  • Low energy lighting data
  • Habitable and heated habitable room data
  • Draught proofing data

All Quidos accredited members are able to access this software for FREE, for the purpose of providing floor plan data for audit. With the click of a button, you can send your plan to your zPlan account for your marketing needs. But please note, you will need to have a zPlan account in order to be able to export the plan.

Please see our video below for more information:

 

We hope our monthly update has continued to deliver some valuable insights. If you have any further questions, please feel free to email a member of our friendly team. Keep an eye out for next month’s update for more great features and opportunities for our users so watch this space!

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