EPC rating and sold prices in SP7 (Dorset)
In postcode district SP7 (Dorset), homes rated EPC C or better sold for 4% less per square metre than D–G homes (median £3,022 vs £3,145, 3,122 sales). Like for like — same size, type, build period and year — homes rated C or better sold for 5.2% less (95% range −7.8% to −2.5%). 1 of 2 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 85 m² against 99 m² for D–G; the most common build period is 2012 onwards for C+ and before 1900 for D–G; 56% of C+ and 73% of D–G sales are detached or semi-detached houses.
| Comparing C+ with D–G homes… | Difference | 95% range |
|---|---|---|
| Raw gap per m² (medians) | −4% | — |
| Whole price, nothing held equal | −20.4% | −23.3% to −17.3% |
| Same floor area | −5.8% | −8.0% to −3.6% |
| + same property type | −3.3% | −5.3% to −1.3% |
| + same build period | −3.3% | −6.3% to −0.2% |
| + same year of sale | −5.2% | −7.8% to −2.5% |
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 SP7
| Sector | Sales | Raw gap | Like-for-like | 95% range |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SP7 0 | 353 | +8% | too few | — |
| SP7 8 | 2,259 | +2% | −2.1% | −5.3% to +1.1% |
| SP7 9 | 510 | −9% | −6.7% ▼ | −12.5% to −0.6% |
▲ 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 SP7
| EPC band (last certificate before sale) | Sales | Median £ per m² |
|---|---|---|
| A | 13 | £3,571 |
| B | 796 | £3,100 |
| C | 942 | £2,950 |
| D | 823 | £3,042 |
| E | 374 | £3,320 |
| F | 139 | £3,217 |
| G | 35 | £3,295 |
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.