Of the 4,625,391 homes in England and Wales whose latest Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) is band D, 18.2% score 67 or 68: one or two points short of band C. For homes built between 1983 and 2002 that share is 27.1%. For homes built before 1950 it is 13.3%.
A D rating covers a wide range of homes. Where a home sits inside its band, and when it was built, changes how far it is from the next letter. This guide sets out the numbers.
A letter cut from a 1–100 score
An EPC rating is a letter, but the letter is a slice of a score. In the register data Homecost holds, band C covers scores 69 to 80 and band D covers 55 to 68. Two homes with the same D rating can therefore sit 13 points apart: a home scoring 68 is one point from C, while a home scoring 55 is 14 points away.
The letter hides that gap. Both homes appear as "D" on a property listing, but one is far closer to the next band than the other.
How band D scores are spread
| Score | Band D homes | Share of band D |
|---|---|---|
| 55–56 | 442,343 | 9.6% |
| 57–58 | 509,432 | 11.0% |
| 59–60 | 591,745 | 12.8% |
| 61–62 | 669,552 | 14.5% |
| 63–64 | 751,605 | 16.3% |
| 65–66 | 821,164 | 17.7% |
| 67–68 | 839,550 | 18.2% |
The count rises with every two-point slice. Homes near the top of band D outnumber those near the bottom, and the top two points alone hold 839,550 homes.
Build age makes the difference
| Build era (EPC age band) | Band D homes | Share of band D | Within two points of C (67–68) | Bottom two points (55–56) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Before 1950 | 2,106,209 | 45.5% | 13.3% | 12.1% |
| 1950–1982 | 1,736,089 | 37.5% | 19.9% | 8.4% |
| 1983–2002 | 726,605 | 15.7% | 27.1% | 5.3% |
| 2003 onwards | 40,147 | 0.9% | 32.6% | 5.2% |
| Build year not recorded | 16,341 | 0.4% | 18.2% | 10.2% |
Pre-1950 homes are the largest group, 45.5% of band-D homes. Their scores are spread almost evenly between the bottom two points (12.1%) and the top two (13.3%). For 1983–2002 homes the picture is different: the top two points hold about five times the share of the bottom two (27.1% against 5.3%). Homes from 2003 onwards are a small group, but show the same tilt towards the top of the band.
For a buyer, the practical point is that a D on a listing does not tell you how close the home is to C. The score printed on the certificate and the build age do.
How the figures were built
- Latest certificate per address. Where a property has several certificates, the most recent lodgement is used, so a home is counted once.
- Coverage. The register holds 29.2 million certificates, lodged between October 2008 and 28 February 2026. Homecost's database links 15.3 million of them to a property address, and those are the only ones used here. The other 13.9 million have no address link and are excluded. The figures therefore describe homes with a linked certificate, not every home in England and Wales.
- Build era comes from the register's age band. Band D homes with no usable age band (16,341) are shown separately.
- Scores are modelled, not metered. The rating is calculated from the building's fabric and heating assumptions. It is not a measure of the bills a household actually pays.
- Data was fetched on 6 October 2026.
What the score does not tell you
The certificate is a snapshot at the time of assessment. Its suggested improvements are estimates, and being one point from C does not show what it would cost to reach that band. That depends on the property and needs an energy assessor or surveyor. Speak to a qualified adviser before acting on any upgrade decision.
Check a postcode
Type any UK postcode into the Homecost tool to see the monthly cost of a property, with the energy estimate taken from its EPC data. Start with M1 1AE in Manchester city centre, or browse buyer guides for more explainers.
Related reading
- EPC Ratings Explained: What the A–G Scale Means in 2026
- Energy cost by EPC rating: what a 3-bed semi costs to run (UK 2026)
- Buying a Period Conversion Flat: What the EPC Tells You
- Where terraced homes lag on EPC: the 2026 UK district map
Based on 4,625,391 homes with a latest band-D EPC, drawn from 15.3 million certificates linked to a property address (England and Wales, lodged to February 2026). See more data-led guides.