EPC rating and sold prices in CO4 (Colchester)
In postcode district CO4 (Colchester), homes rated EPC C or better sold for 0% less per square metre than D–G homes (median £3,250 vs £3,266, 9,340 sales). Like for like — same size, type, build period and year — homes rated C or better sold for 1.7% less (95% range −2.7% to −0.7%). 1 of 4 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 87 m² against 81 m² for D–G; the most common build period is 2012 onwards for C+ and 1983–1990 for D–G; 53% of C+ and 70% of D–G sales are detached or semi-detached houses.
| Comparing C+ with D–G homes… | Difference | 95% range |
|---|---|---|
| Raw gap per m² (medians) | 0% | — |
| Whole price, nothing held equal | +7.7% | +5.8% to +9.6% |
| Same floor area | +0.3% | −0.7% to +1.3% |
| + same property type | +7.8% | +6.8% to +8.8% |
| + same build period | +2.4% | +1.1% to +3.6% |
| + same year of sale | −1.7% | −2.7% to −0.7% |
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 CO4
| Sector | Sales | Raw gap | Like-for-like | 95% range |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CO4 0 | 1,112 | +2% | +1.7% | −0.4% to +4.0% |
| CO4 3 | 1,549 | −1% | −1.0% | −2.7% to +0.7% |
| CO4 5 | 3,052 | −10% | 0.0% | −1.7% to +1.7% |
| CO4 6 | 1,697 | −39% | too few | — |
| CO4 9 | 1,916 | −2% | +2.7% ▲ | +0.9% to +4.5% |
▲ 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 CO4
| EPC band (last certificate before sale) | Sales | Median £ per m² |
|---|---|---|
| A | 7 | too few |
| B | 2,838 | £3,288 |
| C | 2,984 | £3,208 |
| D | 2,747 | £3,309 |
| E | 656 | £3,109 |
| F | 95 | £3,231 |
| G | 13 | £2,908 |
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.