The position in County Durham
There are 7,999 unique commercial properties in County Durham with a certificate on the Energy Performance of Buildings Register. Of those, 6,057 – 75.7% – are rated below EPC B, which is 0.4 percentage points better than the England and Wales average of 76.1%.
The largest category locally is retail & financial services, and the postal towns and districts most represented are Durham, Bishop Auckland, Consett, Peterlee, Newton Aycliffe. Average floor area is 659 m² and the average asset rating is 74.
1,758 certificates in the district have expired (22.0% of the total), of which 242 were rated F or G when issued – the least comfortable position on the register, and the one owners are least likely to know about.
Key figures
Band distribution
| Band | Properties | Share | Share, shown as a bar | vs England & Wales |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| A+ | 9 | 0.1% | -0.2 | |
| A | 366 | 4.6% | +0.5 | |
| B | 1,567 | 19.6% | +0.1 | |
| C | 2,650 | 33.1% | -0.1 | |
| D | 2,057 | 25.7% | – | |
| E | 964 | 12.1% | -0.8 | |
| F | 170 | 2.1% | +0.2 | |
| G | 216 | 2.7% | +0.2 |
Commercial stock by sector
| Sector | Properties | Share | Share, shown as a bar |
|---|---|---|---|
| Retail & financial services | 2,791 | 34.9% | |
| Offices & workshops | 1,535 | 19.2% | |
| Restaurants, cafes & pubs | 1,112 | 13.9% | |
| Storage & distribution | 766 | 9.6% | |
| General & special industrial | 716 | 9.0% | |
| Hospitals & care homes | 201 | 2.5% | |
| Community & day centres | 181 | 2.3% | |
| Primary healthcare | 180 | 2.3% |
Floor area – who the 2031 standard catches
The 2031 EPC B standard is expected to apply only to buildings over 1,000 m². In County Durham that line falls here:
| Floor area | Properties | Share | Share, shown as a bar |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 250 m² | 4,495 | 56.2% | |
| 250–500 m² | 1,527 | 19.1% | |
| 500–1,000 m² | 884 | 11.1% | |
| 1,000–2,500 m² | 663 | 8.3% | |
| 2,500–10,000 m² | 376 | 4.7% | |
| Over 10,000 m² | 54 | 0.7% |
Find your building in County Durham
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For editors and journalists
Quote – attributable to evenEco
Please attribute to evenEco and link to evenhub.uk/commercial/areas/county-durham/. Figures derived from the GOV.UK Energy Performance of Buildings Register, deduplicated to the most recent certificate per property. Media enquiries: contact us.
Shareable summary – County Durham
| Measure | Figure |
|---|---|
| Commercial properties analysed | 7,999 |
| Below EPC B | 6,057 (75.7%) |
| Below EPC E – unlettable without exemption | 386 (4.8%) |
| Over 1,000 m² and below EPC B | 677 |
| Expired certificates | 1,758 (22.0%) |
| Average floor area | 659 m² |
| National rank (share below EPC B) | 180 of 319 |
Common questions
How many commercial properties in County Durham are below EPC B?
6,057 of 7,999 – 75.7% of the commercial stock on the register. That is 0.4 percentage points better than the England and Wales average of 76.1%.
How many buildings in County Durham are caught by the 2031 EPC B standard?
677 commercial buildings in County Durham are over 1,000 m² and currently rated below EPC B, which is the cohort the 2031 standard is aimed at.
How many commercial buildings in County Durham are already unlettable?
386 are rated F or G. Letting those without a registered exemption has been unlawful since 1 April 2023. A further 242 have an expired certificate that was rated F or G.
Where does County Durham rank nationally?
180 of 319 local authorities, ranked by the share of commercial stock below EPC B, with rank 1 being the highest share.
Local authorities with a similar profile
Uttlesford
75.8% below EPC B · 1,383 properties
See the data →Swale
75.8% below EPC B · 2,278 properties
See the data →Enfield
75.7% below EPC B · 4,317 properties
See the data →Horsham
75.7% below EPC B · 2,272 properties
See the data →Basildon
75.7% below EPC B · 2,768 properties
See the data →Derby
75.6% below EPC B · 4,285 properties
See the data →