North West

MEES 2031 exposure in Preston

60 of the 81 industrial and warehouse buildings over 1,000 m² in Preston with an EPC are rated C to E: 2.5m sq ft (231,273 m²) of floorspace that meets today's E minimum but falls short of the proposed EPC B standard.

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Preston in figures

EPC register, snapshot 30 Sep 2026

Rated C to E: 2.5m sq ft231,273 m² in 60 buildings
Rated F or G: 3 buildings95k sq ft (8,804 m²), below today's E minimum
Rated A+ to B: 18 buildingsAlready at the proposed standard
Share below B: 78%Of 81 buildings over 1,000 m². England and Wales: 70%

Preston has the 140th most floorspace rated C to E of 316 local authorities in England and Wales, and the 26th most of 35 in the North West.

EPC rating mix

Share of buildings over 1,000 m², by latest EPC rating

Preston81 buildings
22%
74%
North West5,313 buildings
28%
69%
England and Wales38,148 buildings
30%
67%

A+–BAt B or better alreadyC–EMeets today's E minimum, short of BF–GBelow today's E minimum

Latest certificate per building from the government's EPC register, snapshot 30 Sep 2026. Industrial and warehouse uses (B2 and B8), floor area over 1,000 m² as declared on the EPC; 1 m² is 10.7639 sq ft. How we count it

What stands out in Preston

Compared with the other 34 local authorities in the North West and with England and Wales, from the same EPC register snapshot.

Its floorspace rated C to E is spread across sizes: 43% in buildings of 1,000 to 5,000 m², 15% in buildings of 5,000 to 10,000 m², 43% in buildings over 10,000 m².
Unusually, its smaller buildings do better: 23% of those of 1,000 to 5,000 m² are rated B or better, against 14% of the 7 over 10,000 m².
33 of its 63 buildings rated C to G (52%) have an EPC that has lapsed or is estimated to lapse before 2031, against 54% across England and Wales; 14 have already lapsed.
16 of its 33 C-rated buildings (48%) have an asset rating of 51 to 60, within 10 points of band B: 644k sq ft (59,870 m²) of floorspace. Across England and Wales it's 37%.
Its storage and distribution buildings are likelier to meet B (27%) than its general industrial ones (15%).
Gas is the main heating fuel in 67% of its buildings, against 53% across England and Wales.
In the 12 months to 30 Sep 2026, 9 industrial and warehouse buildings of any size here had an EPC lodged to be let and 1 for a marketed sale, 10 in all: the 2nd fewest of 35 local authorities in the North West.
The recommendation lodged most often on its certificates rated C to G is “Consider replacing T8 lamps with retrofit T5 conversion kit” (EPC-L5), on 44 of 63 buildings.

Every rating, A+ to G

Preston's 81 industrial and warehouse buildings over 1,000 m² by latest EPC rating, beside the North West and the whole of England and Wales.

By latest EPC rating

Share is of buildings over 1,000 m² in each area.

Preston: industrial and warehouse buildings over 1,000 m² by latest EPC rating, with the share in each band and North West's and England and Wales's
Rating	Buildings	Floor area	Share	North West	England and Wales
A+	0	0 sq ft0 m²	0%	1%	2%
A	9	229k sq ft21,233 m²	11%	9%	10%
B	9	538k sq ft49,989 m²	11%	18%	19%
C	33	1.1m sq ft104,834 m²	41%	37%	36%
D	13	836k sq ft77,688 m²	16%	22%	22%
E	14	525k sq ft48,751 m²	17%	10%	9%
F	2	80k sq ft7,423 m²	2%	1%	1%
G	1	15k sq ft1,381 m²	1%	2%	2%

Within 10 points of B

Rated C with an asset rating of 51 to 60. Band B ends at 50.

16 buildings

Of 33 rated C (48%), with 644k sq ft (59,870 m²) of floorspace. England and Wales: 37% of C-rated buildings.

By building size

Floor area as declared on the EPC.

Preston: industrial and warehouse buildings by floor area
Floor area	Buildings	Rated B or better	C to E floor area
Over 1,000 to 5,000 m²	66	23%15 of 66	1.1m sq ft98,670 m²
Over 5,000 to 10,000 m²	8	25%2 of 8	364k sq ft33,790 m²
Over 10,000 m²	7	14%1 of 7	1.1m sq ft98,813 m²

Certificates and lettings

An EPC lasts 10 years, and a valid one is needed to let or sell. We estimate expiry as the lodgement date plus 10 years.

When the certificates lapse

Buildings over 1,000 m², by when their latest EPC lapses, at 30 Sep 2026.

Preston: when each building's latest EPC lapses (estimated)
EPC lapses	All buildings	Rated C to G	C to G floor area
Already lapsed	17	14	973k sq ft90,404 m²
Rest of 2026	1	1	17k sq ft1,617 m²
In 2027	2	2	243k sq ft22,565 m²
In 2028	1	1	24k sq ft2,250 m²
In 2029	11	11	304k sq ft28,283 m²
In 2030	4	4	191k sq ft17,739 m²
2031 or later	45	30	831k sq ft77,219 m²

New EPCs in the last year

Industrial and warehouse buildings of any size whose latest EPC was lodged in the 12 months to 30 Sep 2026, by the reason on the certificate.

To let: 9buildings
Marketed sale: 1building
New build: 0buildings
Other reasons: 1building

11 in all: 82% to let, against 56% across England and Wales. How the daily feed works

Uses, heating and recommendations

What the buildings are used for, how they're heated, and what assessors recommended on the certificates of those rated C to G.

By use

Use from the EPC's property type.

Preston: buildings over 1,000 m² by use, from the EPC's property type
Use	Buildings	B or better	C to E	F or G	C to E floor area
Storage and distribution (B8)	48	13	33	2	1.2m sq ft111,266 m²
General industrial (B2)	33	5	27	1	1.3m sq ft120,007 m²

By main heating fuel

As recorded on each building's latest EPC.

Preston: buildings over 1,000 m² by main heating fuel on the EPC
Main heating fuel	Buildings	Share	England and Wales
Natural gas	54	67%	53%
Grid supplied electricity	20	25%	37%
Other	4	5%	4%
Biomass	2	2%	1%
Oil	1	1%	4%

What assessors recommend

The five most common on the latest certificates of its 63 buildings rated C to G, in the register's wording. A recommendation is the assessor's, not a requirement.

01
Consider replacing T8 lamps with retrofit T5 conversion kit.
EPC-L5. On 44 of 63 buildings (70%)
02
Consider installing solar water heating.
EPC-R3. On 39 of 63 buildings (62%)
03
Consider installing building mounted wind turbine(s).
EPC-R2. On 38 of 63 buildings (60%)
04
In some spaces, the solar gain limit defined in the NCM is exceeded, which might cause overheating. Consider solar control measures such as the application of reflective coating or shading devices to windows.
EPC-V1. On 35 of 63 buildings (56%)
05
Carry out a pressure test, identify and treat identified air leakage. Enter result in EPC calculation.
EPC-E7. On 34 of 63 buildings (54%)

How Preston compares

Preston has 0.2% of the industrial floorspace rated C to E in England and Wales. 78% of its buildings over 1,000 m² are below B, against 72% across the North West and 70% nationally.

Against the region and the country

Preston against the North West and England and Wales: industrial and warehouse buildings over 1,000 m²
Area	Over 1,000 m²	Rated C to E	C to E floor area	Rated F or G	Share below B
Preston	81	60	2.5m sq ft231,273 m²	3	78%
North West	5,313	3,674	160.1m sq ft14,878,125 m²	163	72%
England and Wales	38,148	25,619	1.01bn sq ft94,020,657 m²	1,037	70%

Nearby in the North West ranking

Local authorities ranked next to Preston in the North West by floorspace rated C to E
Rank	Local authority	C to E floor area
24	Westmorland and Furness	2.9m sq ft265,847 m²
25	Bury	2.7m sq ft247,574 m²
26	Preston	2.5m sq ft231,273 m²
27	Blackpool	2.2m sq ft208,040 m²
28	Sefton	2.2m sq ft203,531 m²

North West in detail All 316 local authorities

What the 2031 proposal means

In June 2026 the government said it intends that privately rented non-domestic buildings over 1,000 m² reach EPC B from 2031, where cost effective. It needs secondary legislation, so for now it's a proposal, not law. What the proposal means

C to E: fine today, short of B
Preston has 60 buildings over 1,000 m² rated C to E. They meet today's E minimum, but would fall short of B if the proposal becomes law while they're let.
F or G: below the minimum already
3 buildings in Preston are rated F or G. If let, they already need an improvement or a registered exemption under today's rules.
Where cost effective, and only when let
The 7-year payback test and the exemptions remain. Owner-occupied buildings are counted too, as an EPC can't say whether a building is let. Local weights and measures authorities enforce the rules. MEES in plain English
Ratings change at renewal
33 of Preston's buildings rated C to G have an EPC that has lapsed or is estimated to lapse before 2031. Each needs a new certificate before it's let or sold, and the new rating may differ.

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