EPC rating and sold prices in NE38 (Sunderland)
In postcode district NE38 (Sunderland), homes rated EPC C or better sold for 10% more per square metre than D–G homes (median £1,958 vs £1,781, 4,071 sales). Like for like — same size, type, build period and year — homes rated C or better sold for 2.1% less (95% range −4.0% to −0.2%). 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 88 m² against 85 m² for D–G; the most common build period is 2012 onwards for C+ and 1967–1975 for D–G; 56% of C+ and 60% of D–G sales are detached or semi-detached houses.
| Comparing C+ with D–G homes… | Difference | 95% range |
|---|---|---|
| Raw gap per m² (medians) | +10% | — |
| Whole price, nothing held equal | +10.4% | +6.7% to +14.2% |
| Same floor area | +4.8% | +2.3% to +7.3% |
| + same property type | +9.4% | +7.6% to +11.3% |
| + same build period | +1.3% | −0.7% to +3.3% |
| + same year of sale | −2.1% | −4.0% to −0.2% |
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 NE38
| Sector | Sales | Raw gap | Like-for-like | 95% range |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| NE38 0 | 1,073 | −9% | −0.4% | −3.1% to +2.3% |
| NE38 7 | 1,031 | +4% | +0.9% | −3.1% to +5.0% |
| NE38 8 | 1,320 | +7% | −5.6% ▼ | −9.2% to −1.8% |
| NE38 9 | 647 | +3% | −2.7% | −6.6% to +1.2% |
▲ 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 NE38
| EPC band (last certificate before sale) | Sales | Median £ per m² |
|---|---|---|
| A | 6 | too few |
| B | 649 | £2,165 |
| C | 1,676 | £1,742 |
| D | 1,513 | £1,803 |
| E | 197 | £1,636 |
| F | 25 | £1,460 |
| G | 5 | too few |
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.