South East

MEES 2031 exposure in Reading

71 of the 118 industrial and warehouse buildings over 1,000 m² in Reading with an EPC are rated C to E: 1.9m sq ft (175,396 m²) of floorspace that meets today's E minimum but falls short of the proposed EPC B standard.

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Reading in figures

EPC register, snapshot 30 Sep 2026

Rated C to E: 1.9m sq ft175,396 m² in 71 buildings
Rated F or G: 3 buildings72k sq ft (6,722 m²), below today's E minimum
Rated A+ to B: 44 buildingsAlready at the proposed standard
Share below B: 63%Of 118 buildings over 1,000 m². England and Wales: 70%

Reading has the 177th most floorspace rated C to E of 316 local authorities in England and Wales, and the 19th most of 64 in the South East.

EPC rating mix

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

Reading118 buildings
37%
60%
South East5,119 buildings
37%
62%
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 Reading

Compared with the other 63 local authorities in the South East and with England and Wales, from the same EPC register snapshot.

Most of its floorspace rated C to E, 66% or 1.3m sq ft (116,458 m²), is in 65 buildings of 1,000 to 5,000 m².
35 of its 74 buildings rated C to G (47%) have an EPC that has lapsed or is estimated to lapse before 2031, against 54% across England and Wales; 14 have already lapsed.
12 of its 34 C-rated buildings (35%) have an asset rating of 51 to 60, within 10 points of band B: 697k sq ft (64,777 m²) of floorspace. Across England and Wales it's 37%.
In the 12 months to 30 Sep 2026, 18 industrial and warehouse buildings of any size here had an EPC lodged to be let and 12 for a marketed sale, 30 in all: the 20th most of 64 local authorities in the South East.
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 54 of 74 buildings.

Every rating, A+ to G

Reading's 118 industrial and warehouse buildings over 1,000 m² by latest EPC rating, beside the South East and the whole of England and Wales.

By latest EPC rating

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

Reading: industrial and warehouse buildings over 1,000 m² by latest EPC rating, with the share in each band and South East's and England and Wales's
Rating	Buildings	Floor area	Share	South East	England and Wales
A+	4	180k sq ft16,689 m²	3%	3%	2%
A	11	588k sq ft54,610 m²	9%	13%	10%
B	29	850k sq ft78,956 m²	25%	22%	19%
C	34	1.2m sq ft108,211 m²	29%	35%	36%
D	24	428k sq ft39,738 m²	20%	21%	22%
E	13	295k sq ft27,447 m²	11%	6%	9%
F	1	39k sq ft3,626 m²	1%	1%	1%
G	2	33k sq ft3,096 m²	2%	1%	2%

Within 10 points of B

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

12 buildings

Of 34 rated C (35%), with 697k sq ft (64,777 m²) of floorspace. England and Wales: 37% of C-rated buildings.

By building size

Floor area as declared on the EPC.

Reading: 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	102	33%34 of 102	1.3m sq ft116,458 m²
Over 5,000 to 10,000 m²	12	58%7 of 12	388k sq ft36,053 m²
Over 10,000 m²	4	75%3 of 4	246k sq ft22,885 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.

Reading: when each building's latest EPC lapses (estimated)
EPC lapses	All buildings	Rated C to G	C to G floor area
Already lapsed	16	14	269k sq ft25,000 m²
Rest of 2026	0	0	0 sq ft0 m²
In 2027	6	3	61k sq ft5,632 m²
In 2028	13	9	174k sq ft16,177 m²
In 2029	8	7	110k sq ft10,187 m²
In 2030	2	2	53k sq ft4,882 m²
2031 or later	73	39	1.3m sq ft120,240 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: 18buildings
Marketed sale: 12buildings
New build: 6buildings
Other reasons: 31buildings

67 in all: 27% 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.

Reading: 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)	71	28	43	0	1.3m sq ft123,752 m²
General industrial (B2)	47	16	28	3	556k sq ft51,644 m²

By main heating fuel

As recorded on each building's latest EPC.

Reading: buildings over 1,000 m² by main heating fuel on the EPC
Main heating fuel	Buildings	Share	England and Wales
Natural gas	66	56%	53%
Grid supplied electricity	49	42%	37%
Other	2	2%	4%
Oil	1	1%	4%

What assessors recommend

The five most common on the latest certificates of its 74 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 54 of 74 buildings (73%)
02
Add optimum start/stop to the heating system.
EPC-H7. On 51 of 74 buildings (69%)
03
Add weather compensation controls to heating system.
EPC-H8. On 45 of 74 buildings (61%)
04
Some windows have high U-values - consider installing secondary glazing.
EPC-E5. On 43 of 74 buildings (58%)
05
Introduce HF (high frequency) ballasts for fluorescent tubes: Reduced number of fittings required.
EPC-L7. On 39 of 74 buildings (53%)

How Reading compares

Reading has 0.2% of the industrial floorspace rated C to E in England and Wales. 63% of its buildings over 1,000 m² are below B, the same as across the South East, against 70% nationally.

Against the region and the country

Reading against the South East 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
Reading	118	71	1.9m sq ft175,396 m²	3	63%
South East	5,119	3,153	101.6m sq ft9,439,390 m²	66	63%
England and Wales	38,148	25,619	1.01bn sq ft94,020,657 m²	1,037	70%

Nearby in the South East ranking

Local authorities ranked next to Reading in the South East by floorspace rated C to E
Rank	Local authority	C to E floor area
17	East Hampshire	2.0m sq ft182,348 m²
18	Maidstone	1.9m sq ft176,789 m²
19	Reading	1.9m sq ft175,396 m²
20	Dartford	1.8m sq ft170,354 m²
21	Elmbridge	1.5m sq ft140,148 m²

South East 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
Reading has 71 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 Reading 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
35 of Reading'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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