EPC rating and sold prices in BL5 (Bolton)
In postcode district BL5 (Bolton), homes rated EPC C or better sold for 19% more per square metre than D–G homes (median £2,418 vs £2,025, 5,379 sales). Like for like — same size, type, build period and year — homes rated C or better sold for 1.4% more (95% range 0.0% to +2.9%). 1 of 3 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 90 m² against 84 m² for D–G; the most common build period is 2012 onwards for C+ and 1900–1929 for D–G; 67% of C+ and 64% of D–G sales are detached or semi-detached houses.
| Comparing C+ with D–G homes… | Difference | 95% range |
|---|---|---|
| Raw gap per m² (medians) | +19% | — |
| Whole price, nothing held equal | +26.7% | +23.6% to +29.9% |
| Same floor area | +21.2% | +18.9% to +23.4% |
| + same property type | +20.7% | +18.9% to +22.5% |
| + same build period | +9.4% | +7.4% to +11.4% |
| + same year of sale | +1.4% | 0.0% to +2.9% |
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 BL5
| Sector | Sales | Raw gap | Like-for-like | 95% range |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BL5 1 | 488 | +2% | +2.5% | −2.4% to +7.7% |
| BL5 2 | 1,944 | +14% | +2.5% ▲ | +0.5% to +4.6% |
| BL5 3 | 2,947 | +34% | +1.0% | −1.1% to +3.0% |
▲ 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 BL5
| EPC band (last certificate before sale) | Sales | Median £ per m² |
|---|---|---|
| A | 30 | £3,326 |
| B | 792 | £2,967 |
| C | 1,712 | £2,199 |
| D | 2,272 | £2,083 |
| E | 468 | £1,749 |
| F | 89 | £1,650 |
| G | 16 | £927 |
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.