Green value of a property : does the EPC rating affect the price ?

A property’s green value affects its sale price, and the impact of the EPC on price is now a tangible market factor. In 2024, the French Notaries observed that the best-performing older homes sold for more, while highly energy-intensive homes sold for less.

The EPC alone does not sum up a property’s value, but it has become a key reference point for buyers. Since 1 July 2021, it has been fully enforceable. For the properties concerned, the rating appears in advertisements, with a specific mention for homes rated F or G.

Key points to remember

• In 2024, according to the French Notaries, energy-efficient homes sold for more and highly energy-consuming homes sold for less.
• The share of sales of older homes rated F and G in mainland France excluding Corsica stood at 15 % in 2024, after a decrease of 2 percentage points.
• For older houses, the proportion of sales in classes F and G fell from 20 % in 2023 to 17 % in 2024.
• Since 1 July 2021, the DPE has been legally enforceable, and a DPE without a 13-digit ADEME identification number is invalid.
• Since 1 July 2024, properties smaller than 40 m² have benefited from adjusted thresholds, with a significant effect on some ratings.

The EPC does influence the price, but not as an automatic scale

The national finding is clear: energy performance affects prices. The Notaires de France state that in 2024 the most energy-efficient older homes sold for more, while highly energy-intensive properties sold for less.

However, this trend does not translate into a single formula. The available data indicate the direction of the market, not a discount or premium percentage that applies to every sale. Two F-rated properties will not necessarily be subject to the same negotiation, as the buyer also considers the nature of the property, work already carried out and the quality of the supporting documents.

The green value is therefore one factor among others, but a factor that becomes visible very early, from the advert and even before the viewing.

Why the energy rating carries more weight than before

Several developments explain this increasing burden.

A diagnosis that has become legally enforceable

Since 1 July 2021, the DPE has no longer been merely informative: it is fully legally enforceable. It therefore has a legal scope comparable to that of other property surveys, except for work recommendations, which remain indicative.

Information displayed in the relevant listings

As soon as the property is put up for sale or rent, the DPE must be available to any interested person who requests it. For properties subject to this assessment, listings must display the energy and climate labels, as well as a statement indicating excessive energy consumption when the property is rated F or G. Since 1 January 2022, they must also include an estimated range for the theoretical energy bill.

This presentation changes the negotiation. The buyer can compare two similar properties more easily and better anticipate the cost of use, even though the authorities remind us that this estimate should not be compared with the occupants' actual bills.

Constraints that go beyond mere consumption

The EPC provides information both on energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions. To obtain a rating from A to G, the home must reach a minimum level on each of the two criteria. The rating is therefore a more comprehensive indicator than before.

F and G ratings are particularly exposed to negotiation

Properties rated F or G are identified as energy-inefficient homes. This category has become a priority in public renovation policies, and this is reflected in the market.

In mainland France excluding Corsica, the proportion of sales of older homes rated F and G increased in 2022 and then in 2023. In 2024, it fell by 2 points to 15%. According to the French Notaries, this decline concerned only the market for older detached houses, where the share of sales in classes F and G fell from 20% in 2023 to 17% in 2024.

For a buy-to-let purchaser, the issue is more sensitive because of the energy-efficiency standards applicable to rental properties.

What the seller can do to add value to their property

The first lever is not necessarily to start work immediately. It is first to check that the EPC accurately reflects the property.

Prepare complete supporting documents

The authorities stress that, since EPCs became legally enforceable, the data used to prepare them must be substantiated. It is therefore important to keep documents relating to works so that they can be taken into account in the assessment.

A seller would be well advised to gather, before the viewing, information relating to insulation, windows and doors, heating, ventilation and hot-water production. Without supporting documents, some improvements may not be taken sufficiently into account.

Check the document

The report must also contain a 13-digit ADEME identification number. Without this number, the DPE is not valid. Before putting a property up for sale, it is therefore best to check the document’s date, validity and identification.

Take a close look at smaller properties

Since 1 July 2024, properties smaller than 40 m² have benefited from more appropriate thresholds. The effect can be significant: around 140,000 properties are no longer rated F or G following this change. For a property already assessed before that date, a certificate showing the new rating can be downloaded free of charge from ADEME's DPE-Audit Observatory and attached to the original DPE.

For a studio or small flat, this verification can change how the property is perceived from the outset.

Since 1 January 2026, the electricity conversion coefficient used in calculating the DPE has changed from 2.3 to 1.9. A property heated by electricity can therefore obtain a better rating without any work. A DPE carried out in 2025 or earlier, which is still valid, can be updated free of charge, without a further visit from the surveyor, when the rating improves.

Works, recommendations and audit: what can really help with the sale

A poor EPC rating does not automatically require work before selling. The scenarios mentioned in the report are not compulsory. However, they provide a useful framework for understanding what is holding back the rating and what may improve the property's perceived value.

DPE recommendations

The report contains recommendations concerning the use and maintenance of equipment and works. It distinguishes essential works from other works, with quantified savings in energy consumption and greenhouse-gas emissions.

For an energy-inefficient property, two packages must be offered:

• a package of priority works to escape energy-inefficient status;
• a package to achieve a high-performance level, in class A or B, unless technical or architectural constraints prevent this.

These details are useful when selling, as they give the buyer a more concrete view of the potential for improvement.

In a co-owned property, a collective EPC does not always reflect the work carried out in an individual unit

In older apartment blocks, one point deserves particular attention. When a building EPC is carried out, it may, under certain conditions, generate individual EPCs for the flats without each property being visited. This simplification is useful, but it does not necessarily take all the specific features of a unit into account.

The authorities specify that a co-owner who has carried out works in their flat may replace this EPC generated from collective data with a conventional individual EPC, prepared after an inspection of the property. This provides a more accurate reflection of the property’s actual energy performance.

For a flat seller, this is an important lever. If you have changed the windows, improved the insulation or replaced certain equipment, an individual EPC may better reflect these investments than a document based on collective data.

How to translate the EPC into a realistic pricing strategy

The right approach is to distinguish between three situations.

• If the rating is good and recent, it should be made legible and consistent with the other information in the listing.
• If the rating is average, it is important to show what it really means in terms of use, estimated costs and potential for improvement.
• If the rating is low, an imprecise or outdated assessment should not be allowed to create a greater discount than necessary.

Energy performance does not replace a serious property valuation. It influences it. To establish a consistent price, it may be useful to compare the content of the EPC with a free, no-obligation valuation, especially for country houses, longères or thatched cottages whose technical characteristics can vary considerably from one property to another.

For buyers, looking at comparable properties with a clearly displayed rating also makes it easier to understand the differences observed among the houses and flats offered on the Alabaster Coast.

For further information, the ministry explains how the energy performance certificate works, and the Notaires de France regularly publish their analyses of the green value of homes.

Frequently asked questions