EPC Ratings in Torfaen: How Many Homes Are Below Band C Before the 2030 Rule
Of the 2,438 homes in Torfaen that had an EPC lodged from July 2025 to June 2026, 34% were rated D to G — the bands a privately rented home must leave by 1 October 2030. The Wales figure is 42%; England and Wales 40%.
EPC bands in Torfaen, July 2025 to June 2026
| Rating | Certificates | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Band A | 21 | 0.9% |
| Band B | 146 | 6.0% |
| Band C | 1,432 | 59% |
| Band D | 767 | 31% |
| Band E | 57 | 2.3% |
| Band F | 10 | 0.4% |
| Band G | 5 | 0.2% |
34% below C (bands D to G) against 42% in Wales and 40% across England and Wales. Torfaen ranks 255 of 318 local authorities for the share below C (1 = highest share). Since 2008, 38,604 EPCs have been lodged for existing homes in Torfaen and 55% of them were below C — recent certificates run better than the long-run stock because newer and improved homes transact more.
Torfaen splits fairly evenly. 66% of recent certificates are already C or better, 31% are one band short at D, and 3.0% are E, F or G. For a landlord that means the register is worth checking property by property: the same street can hold a certificate that needs nothing and one that needs two bands of work.
Is Torfaen moving towards C?
Little movement year on year in Torfaen: 34% of certificates were below C in July 2024 to June 2025 and 34% in July 2025 to June 2026 (+0.7 points; England and Wales −2.5 points). The area is 252nd of 318 for the size of its year-on-year change, so the picture here is stable rather than shifting.
Average floor area per certificate is 81.8 m², close to the 87.1 m² England-and-Wales figure, so national cost guides apply here without much adjustment.
What the 2030 rule costs in Torfaen
Privately rented homes need band C from 1 October 2030, with a £10,000 cap on what a landlord must spend before an exemption can be registered; the rules, exemptions and what counts towards the cap are on the EPC C for rentals by 2030 guide.
Put the £10,000 cap in local terms: average private rent in Torfaen is £858 a month (ONS, July 2026), so the cap is roughly 11.7 months of rent — and every month a property stands empty for works costs another £858 on top of the bill. The area’s rents, prices and yields are on Torfaen: rents, house prices and yield.
Whether the certificate and the works are deductible is on EPC, gas and electrical certificates: deductible? — revenue repairs come off the year’s rent, improvements that add capital value do not (allowable expenses guide).
Nearest neighbours in the ranking, in Wales
| Area | Below C | Year-on-year (pts) |
|---|---|---|
| Swansea | 40% | −7.6 |
| Flintshire | 38% | −0.8 |
| Bridgend | 37% | −4.5 |
| Caerphilly | 34% | −8.4 |
| Cardiff | 33% | −1.6 |
| Newport | 32% | −3.3 |
All 318 areas ranked · council tax in Torfaen 2026/27 · rent, prices and yield in Torfaen.
MHCLG, Live tables on Energy Performance of Buildings Certificates, table EB1 — domestic EPCs lodged for existing dwellings by energy-efficiency band, published 30 July 2026, latest four quarters (July 2025 to June 2026) summed per local authority; cumulative figures from 2008. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. An EPC is lodged when a home is sold, let or newly built, so these are certificates issued, not a census of the housing stock. Shares, ranks and regional figures are ours, computed across 318 local authorities. Download: CSV.
Asked about EPCs here
Of EPCs lodged for existing homes from July 2025 to June 2026, 66% were band C or better and 34% were D to G; band D alone was 31%. (MHCLG live table EB1.)
The share below C moved from 34% (July 2024 to June 2025) to 34% (July 2025 to June 2026): +0.7 percentage points, against −2.5 across England and Wales.
From 1 October 2030 under the government's EPC consultation response, with a £10,000 spending cap before an exemption. Until then the minimum for a new letting is band E.
34% below C against 42% in Wales — a smaller share needing work.
No — only homes with an EPC lodged in the period (sold, let or built). Since 2008 the cumulative share below C is 55%, higher because older certificates and unimproved homes sit in that total.