EPC rating and sold prices in WD25 (Watford)
In postcode district WD25 (Watford), homes rated EPC C or better sold for 5% less per square metre than D–G homes (median £4,833 vs £5,065, 3,833 sales). Like for like — same size, type, build period and year — homes rated C or better sold for 1.5% less (95% range −2.8% to −0.1%). 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 80 m² against 84 m² for D–G; the most common build period is 2012 onwards for C+ and 1950–1966 for D–G; 38% of C+ and 58% of D–G sales are detached or semi-detached houses.
| Comparing C+ with D–G homes… | Difference | 95% range |
|---|---|---|
| Raw gap per m² (medians) | −5% | — |
| Whole price, nothing held equal | −7.0% | −9.5% to −4.4% |
| Same floor area | −6.3% | −7.6% to −5.0% |
| + same property type | −0.5% | −1.8% to +0.8% |
| + same build period | 0.0% | −1.5% to +1.5% |
| + same year of sale | −1.5% | −2.8% to −0.1% |
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 WD25
| Sector | Sales | Raw gap | Like-for-like | 95% range |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| WD25 0 | 1,129 | −4% | −0.2% | −2.2% to +1.9% |
| WD25 7 | 1,154 | −5% | +0.7% | −1.2% to +2.8% |
| WD25 8 | 180 | −9% | too few | — |
| WD25 9 | 1,370 | −2% | −2.1% ▼ | −4.1% to 0.0% |
▲ 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 WD25
| EPC band (last certificate before sale) | Sales | Median £ per m² |
|---|---|---|
| A | 15 | £5,833 |
| B | 619 | £4,673 |
| C | 1,246 | £4,931 |
| D | 1,515 | £5,093 |
| E | 377 | £4,959 |
| F | 44 | £5,177 |
| G | 17 | £5,000 |
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.