Last reviewed: May 2026
Heating controls do count towards your EPC — but less than the marketing implies, and not because they're "smart". Here's how the rating actually treats them, and why the detail matters most to landlords.
An EPC is produced by the SAP methodology (or RdSAP for existing homes) — a standardised model of the building. It credits the presence of effective heating controls: a programmer, a room thermostat, and thermostatic radiator valves. A home missing these scores lower than one that has them.
Adding the controls that are missing can lift the rating — but the effect is modest. The heavy lifting on an EPC comes from the building fabric (insulation) and the heat source (a low-carbon system). Controls are the finishing touch, not the headline. See how to improve your EPC rating for the full order of priority.
This is the part worth being precise about: RdSAP credits the category of control, not its cleverness. A basic programmer, thermostat, and TRVs score much the same on the EPC as a smart equivalent. The smart features earn their keep in daily running cost — the ~10% the controls save in use — not in the rating. Buy smart controls for how you live, not to move the EPC.
Minimum Energy Efficiency Standards (MEES) require most rented homes in England and Wales to reach at least EPC band E to be let legally, with tighter bands proposed for the coming years. For a property sitting just below a boundary, adding missing heating controls is one of the cheapest measures available — useful alongside loft and cavity insulation and LED lighting to nudge a rating across the line. For a property several bands short, controls alone won't do it; the fabric and heating need addressing first.