EPC rating and sold prices in SP8 (Dorset)
In postcode district SP8 (Dorset), homes rated EPC C or better sold for 6% less per square metre than D–G homes (median £2,826 vs £2,995, 3,168 sales). Like for like — same size, type, build period and year — homes rated C or better sold for 1.9% less (95% range −3.5% to −0.4%). 0 of 1 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 79 m² against 92 m² for D–G; the most common build period is 2003–2006 for C+ and before 1900 for D–G; 54% of C+ and 78% of D–G sales are detached or semi-detached houses.
| Comparing C+ with D–G homes… | Difference | 95% range |
|---|---|---|
| Raw gap per m² (medians) | −6% | — |
| Whole price, nothing held equal | −18.4% | −20.9% to −15.7% |
| Same floor area | −7.7% | −9.5% to −5.9% |
| + same property type | −1.4% | −3.0% to +0.3% |
| + same build period | −0.4% | −2.3% to +1.4% |
| + same year of sale | −1.9% | −3.5% to −0.4% |
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 SP8
▲ 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 SP8
| EPC band (last certificate before sale) | Sales | Median £ per m² |
|---|---|---|
| A | 25 | £3,500 |
| B | 254 | £3,326 |
| C | 1,292 | £2,738 |
| D | 1,135 | £3,000 |
| E | 315 | £2,980 |
| F | 115 | £3,025 |
| G | 32 | £2,824 |
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.