EPC rating and sold prices in AL5 (St Albans)
In postcode district AL5 (St Albans), homes rated EPC C or better sold for 9% less per square metre than D–G homes (median £6,033 vs £6,653, 5,497 sales). Like for like — same size, type, build period and year — homes rated C or better sold for 5.3% less (95% range −6.6% to −4.0%). 3 of 5 sectors with enough sales show a difference distinguishable from zero. Data: HM Land Registry to 30 September 2026, EPC register.
From the raw gap to like-for-like
The homes are not alike: C+ homes here have a median floor area of 106 m² against 112 m² for D–G; the most common build period is 2012 onwards for C+ and 1950–1966 for D–G; 49% of C+ and 72% of D–G sales are detached or semi-detached houses.
| Comparing C+ with D–G homes… | Difference | 95% range |
|---|---|---|
| Raw gap per m² (medians) | −9% | — |
| Whole price, nothing held equal | −11.9% | −14.7% to −8.9% |
| Same floor area | −9.2% | −10.4% to −8.0% |
| + same property type | −4.3% | −5.5% to −3.0% |
| + same build period | −2.7% | −4.1% to −1.2% |
| + same year of sale | −5.3% | −6.6% to −4.0% |
The first row compares median prices per m²; the second compares whole prices; each later row adds one more thing that must be equal, ending with the like-for-like premium (regression of log price; build period from the certificate, 12 bands). The raw gap per m² and the whole-price gap differ because C+ and D–G homes differ in size.
Postcode sectors in AL5
| Sector | Sales | Raw gap | Like-for-like | 95% range |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| AL5 1 | 1,223 | −7% | −3.1% ▼ | −5.2% to −0.9% |
| AL5 2 | 863 | −3% | −1.6% | −5.0% to +1.8% |
| AL5 3 | 825 | −15% | −4.0% ▼ | −7.4% to −0.5% |
| AL5 4 | 1,217 | −10% | −2.1% | −4.8% to +0.7% |
| AL5 5 | 1,369 | −11% | −4.3% ▼ | −6.6% to −1.9% |
▲ green: premium distinguishable from zero; ▼ red: discount; plain: no measurable difference. Small areas have fewer sales, so their 95% ranges are wider.
Sold prices by EPC band in AL5
| EPC band (last certificate before sale) | Sales | Median £ per m² |
|---|---|---|
| A | 2 | too few |
| B | 601 | £5,962 |
| C | 1,673 | £6,064 |
| D | 2,323 | £6,625 |
| E | 793 | £6,707 |
| F | 91 | £6,944 |
| G | 14 | £6,913 |
A median is shown when a band has at least 10 sales.
How this is calculated
- Every standard sale (HM Land Registry Price Paid, category A) since January 2015 is matched to the latest energy certificate of the same address (postcode + house number or name + flat) lodged from 10 years before to 3 months after the sale; sales with no certificate or an ambiguous match are left out. Across England and Wales 92% of sales match.
- Price per m² uses the certificate's total floor area (15–1,000 m²).
- Like-for-like premium: regression of the log of price on “C or better”, log floor area, property type, the certificate's build period and the year of sale. The 95% range shows how precise the estimate is; when it includes zero, the data cannot tell the premium apart from none.
Caveats
- The band is the one on the certificate before the sale; certificates are a median 0.8 years old at the sale, but a quarter are over 4 years old and some homes were improved since.
- Condition, garden, parking, views and the exact position within the sector are not known; a premium could hide in them, or they could hide one.
- Individual sales and addresses are not shown.