How to Improve Your EPC Rating Without Gas: Does Infrared Heating Help?

First: What Does an EPC Actually Measure?

An Energy Performance Certificate does not simply record the household's actual energy bills and convert them into an A-to-G rating.

It uses an approved calculation methodology and information about the property to model its energy performance under standardised assumptions.

That distinction matters because two households living in otherwise identical homes could use their heating very differently, yet the EPC needs a consistent method of comparing the properties.

SAP and RdSAP: What's the Difference?

For domestic properties in England and Wales, the assessment methodology depends partly on whether the dwelling is new or existing.

Why Does This Matter for Infrared Heating?

Far infrared heaters are electrically powered, so their treatment within an EPC needs to be understood separately from the reasons someone might choose infrared in everyday use.

Infrared heating provides radiant heat towards people and surrounding surfaces rather than relying primarily on warming and circulating room air. Our guide to how infrared heating works explains the principle in more detail.

It can also be installed with room-by-room thermostatic control, allowing different heating zones to follow different schedules. Where several heaters need to operate together, a compatible external control such as the Netmostat Smart Thermostat can form part of the heating control strategy.

Those characteristics may be valuable when designing a heating system around the way a building is actually occupied.

But an EPC is still calculated using the approved assessment methodology. It should therefore not be assumed that a particular real-world usage pattern will automatically translate directly into a higher EPC rating.

How Can You Improve an EPC Without Installing Gas?

Rather than treating the heating appliance as the only variable, look at the property as a complete energy system.

1. Start With the Building Fabric

If the property loses heat rapidly, changing the heater does not remove the underlying heat loss.

Depending on the property, measures worth investigating can include:

• Loft or roof insulation
• Cavity, internal or external wall insulation where appropriate
• Floor insulation
• Improved glazing
• Improved doors
• Draught reduction while maintaining appropriate ventilation

Which improvements are appropriate depends heavily on the age, construction and condition of the property. This is particularly important with older and traditionally constructed buildings, where retrofit measures need to be selected carefully.

2. Choose the Heating System Around the Property

Once heat loss has been considered, the heating system can be designed around the building's actual requirement.

Infrared heating can be attractive in gas-free properties because it does not require a wet central-heating network, gas boiler, flue or gas connection. We look at this application in more detail in Is Infrared Heating a Good Option for Buildings Without Gas Supply?

Depending on the property and installation, you can choose from wall-mounted infrared panels, ceiling-mounted infrared panels and higher-output infrared bar heaters.

The right format depends on the room, available mounting positions, heat requirement and how the space will be used.

Correct sizing remains essential. An undersized system may struggle to maintain the desired temperature, while unnecessarily oversizing the installation increases the connected electrical load.

Use our infrared heating wattage calculator as a starting point when estimating the heating requirement for individual rooms.

3. Use Proper Heating Controls

A well-designed all-electric heating system should allow temperatures and schedules to be controlled according to how the property is used.

With infrared heating, this can include individual built-in thermostatic control or central control of multiple heaters depending on the system design.

If you're deciding between these two approaches, our guide to built-in thermostat vs non-thermostat infrared heaters explains when individual heater control or a central thermostat arrangement makes more sense.

For compatible installations requiring central smart control, the Netmostat Smart Thermostat provides scheduling, temperature control and app-based management.

The practical advantage of zoning is that bedrooms, living spaces, offices and other areas do not necessarily need identical heating schedules.

However, do not assume that simply adding a Wi-Fi thermostat will automatically add a fixed number of points to an EPC. The assessor and approved methodology determine how the installed system and controls are represented.

4. Consider Solar PV With Electric Heating

Once a property becomes all-electric, on-site electricity generation becomes particularly relevant.

Solar PV can generate electricity for use within the property, including electricity consumed by household appliances and electric heating when generation and demand occur at the same time.

This does not mean solar panels will provide all winter heating demand – solar output varies substantially with season, weather, roof orientation and system size.

But PV can form an important part of a broader gas-free property strategy. Our Infrared Heating and Solar PV guide explains how electric infrared heating can form part of a property using on-site solar generation.

Don't Forget Hot Water When Removing Gas

Moving away from gas involves more than replacing the space-heating system. If the existing boiler also produces domestic hot water, an alternative hot-water solution needs to form part of the project.

One option for an electric-only property is a thermal battery. Our guide to how a Sunamp Thermino heat battery works explains the technology, while Sunamp Thermino vs a traditional hot water cylinder looks at the differences between the two approaches.

For projects considering space heating and hot water together, see our guide to infrared heating with Sunamp Thermino.

EPC Performance and Real-World Energy Use Are Not the Same Thing

This is one of the most important points for anyone researching infrared heating and EPC ratings.

An EPC provides a standardised model that allows properties to be compared. Your actual energy use depends on how you live in the property.

Real-world consumption can be affected by:

• How many rooms you heat
• The temperatures you choose
• How long the heating operates
• Occupancy patterns
• Weather
• Thermostat schedules
• Building condition
• Actual electricity tariff

This is why claims such as “infrared will increase your EPC” or “infrared will reduce your EPC” are too simplistic without assessing the individual property.

If you're also trying to understand the financial side of an all-electric system, our infrared heating running costs guide explains how heater wattage, electricity price, operating time and thermostatic control affect cost.

What Should Landlords Do Before Replacing Gas Heating?

If the property's EPC rating is important for regulatory, letting or investment purposes, replacing the heating system should be planned alongside the EPC rather than treated as a completely separate decision.

Before removing an existing system, consider:

• The property's current EPC and recommended improvements
• Existing insulation and fabric performance
• The proposed electric heating system and controls
• Whether solar PV or other upgrades are planned
• How domestic hot water will be provided
• The property's electrical capacity
• The impact of the proposed changes under the applicable EPC methodology

Where the resulting EPC band is commercially or legally important, speak to an accredited domestic energy assessor before committing to the complete retrofit.

Can You Create a Fully Gas-Free Home With Infrared Heating?

Yes. Infrared heating can provide electric space heating without a gas boiler.

A gas-free property also needs a solution for domestic hot water, so the complete system needs to consider both heating and hot water rather than simply removing the boiler.

Solar PV, appropriate electric hot-water technology and correctly designed infrared heating can therefore form different parts of a wider all-electric property strategy.

If you're considering this type of project, read our guide to infrared heating for buildings without a gas supply and our guide to combining infrared heating with Sunamp Thermino for electric heating and hot water.

Frequently Asked Questions

Improving an EPC Without Gas: The Bottom Line

You do not need to install gas simply because you want to improve a property's energy performance.

The stronger approach is to consider the property as a whole: reduce heat loss, improve the building fabric, choose an appropriate heating system, use suitable controls and consider renewable electricity where practical.

Far infrared heating can form part of that gas-free strategy, particularly where simple electric installation, room-by-room zoning and an all-electric property are priorities.

But an infrared heating installation should not be sold as a guaranteed EPC upgrade. If a specific EPC band matters, the proposed improvements should be assessed for that particular property before major work is undertaken.