East of England

MEES 2031 exposure in Watford

49 of the 70 industrial and warehouse buildings over 1,000 m² in Watford with an EPC are rated C to E: 1.1m sq ft (103,984 m²) of floorspace that meets today's E minimum but falls short of the proposed EPC B standard.

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Watford in figures

EPC register, snapshot 30 Sep 2026

Rated C to E: 1.1m sq ft103,984 m² in 49 buildings
Rated F or G: 0 buildingsNone below today's E minimum
Rated A+ to B: 21 buildingsAlready at the proposed standard
Share below B: 70%Of 70 buildings over 1,000 m². England and Wales: 70%

Watford has the 234th most floorspace rated C to E of 316 local authorities in England and Wales, and the 34th most of 45 in the East of England.

EPC rating mix

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

Watford70 buildings
30%
70%
East of England4,217 buildings
33%
64%
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 Watford

Compared with the other 44 local authorities in the East of England and with England and Wales, from the same EPC register snapshot.

None of its buildings over 1,000 m² is rated F or G, as in 14 of the other 44 local authorities in the East of England.
Most of its floorspace rated C to E, 94% or 1.1m sq ft (97,735 m²), is in 48 buildings of 1,000 to 5,000 m².
21 of its 49 buildings rated C to G (43%) have an EPC that has lapsed or is estimated to lapse before 2031, against 54% across England and Wales; 11 have already lapsed.
11 of its 25 C-rated buildings (44%) have an asset rating of 51 to 60, within 10 points of band B: 229k sq ft (21,281 m²) of floorspace. Across England and Wales it's 37%.
Storage and distribution (B8) makes up 76% of its buildings over 1,000 m², against 58% across England and Wales.
In the 12 months to 30 Sep 2026, 6 industrial and warehouse buildings of any size here had an EPC lodged to be let and 15 for a marketed sale, 21 in all: the 19th fewest of 45 local authorities in the East of England.
The recommendation lodged most often on its certificates rated C to G is “Add optimum start/stop to the heating system” (EPC-H7), on 33 of 49 buildings.

Every rating, A+ to G

Watford's 70 industrial and warehouse buildings over 1,000 m² by latest EPC rating, beside the East of England and the whole of England and Wales.

By latest EPC rating

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

Watford: industrial and warehouse buildings over 1,000 m² by latest EPC rating, with the share in each band and East of England's and England and Wales's
Rating	Buildings	Floor area	Share	East of England	England and Wales
A+	4	142k sq ft13,228 m²	6%	2%	2%
A	4	216k sq ft20,092 m²	6%	12%	10%
B	13	354k sq ft32,846 m²	19%	20%	19%
C	25	553k sq ft51,405 m²	36%	35%	36%
D	19	450k sq ft41,788 m²	27%	22%	22%
E	5	116k sq ft10,791 m²	7%	8%	9%
F	0	0 sq ft0 m²	0%	1%	1%
G	0	0 sq ft0 m²	0%	1%	2%

Within 10 points of B

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

11 buildings

Of 25 rated C (44%), with 229k sq ft (21,281 m²) of floorspace. England and Wales: 37% of C-rated buildings.

By building size

Floor area as declared on the EPC.

Watford: 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	65	26%17 of 65	1.1m sq ft97,735 m²
Over 5,000 to 10,000 m²	4	75%3 of 4	67k sq ft6,249 m²
Over 10,000 m²	1	100%1 of 1	0 sq ft0 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.

Watford: when each building's latest EPC lapses (estimated)
EPC lapses	All buildings	Rated C to G	C to G floor area
Already lapsed	11	11	315k sq ft29,237 m²
Rest of 2026	0	0	0 sq ft0 m²
In 2027	6	5	85k sq ft7,907 m²
In 2028	4	3	45k sq ft4,212 m²
In 2029	0	0	0 sq ft0 m²
In 2030	3	2	53k sq ft4,954 m²
2031 or later	46	28	621k sq ft57,674 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: 6buildings
Marketed sale: 15buildings
New build: 1building
Other reasons: 1building

23 in all: 26% 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.

Watford: 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)	53	18	35	0	811k sq ft75,307 m²
General industrial (B2)	17	3	14	0	309k sq ft28,677 m²

By main heating fuel

As recorded on each building's latest EPC.

Watford: buildings over 1,000 m² by main heating fuel on the EPC
Main heating fuel	Buildings	Share	England and Wales
Natural gas	38	54%	53%
Grid supplied electricity	30	43%	37%
Oil	1	1%	4%
Other	1	1%	4%

What assessors recommend

The five most common on the latest certificates of its 49 buildings rated C to G, in the register's wording. A recommendation is the assessor's, not a requirement.

01
Add optimum start/stop to the heating system.
EPC-H7. On 33 of 49 buildings (67%)
02
Add weather compensation controls to heating system.
EPC-H8. On 30 of 49 buildings (61%)
03
Consider replacing T8 lamps with retrofit T5 conversion kit.
EPC-L5. On 28 of 49 buildings (57%)
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 27 of 49 buildings (55%)
05
Carry out a pressure test, identify and treat identified air leakage. Enter result in EPC calculation.
EPC-E7. On 26 of 49 buildings (53%)

How Watford compares

Watford has 0.1% of the industrial floorspace rated C to E in England and Wales. 70% of its buildings over 1,000 m² are below B, against 67% across the East of England, and the same as nationally.

Against the region and the country

Watford against the East of England 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
Watford	70	49	1.1m sq ft103,984 m²	0	70%
East of England	4,217	2,693	93.1m sq ft8,647,375 m²	120	67%
England and Wales	38,148	25,619	1.01bn sq ft94,020,657 m²	1,037	70%

Nearby in the East of England ranking

Local authorities ranked next to Watford in the East of England by floorspace rated C to E
Rank	Local authority	C to E floor area
32	South Norfolk	1.2m sq ft108,610 m²
33	Maldon	1.2m sq ft107,552 m²
34	Watford	1.1m sq ft103,984 m²
35	Great Yarmouth	1.1m sq ft98,466 m²
36	North Norfolk	1.0m sq ft93,317 m²

East of England 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
Watford has 49 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
No building over 1,000 m² in Watford has a latest EPC rated F or G.
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
21 of Watford'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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