The position in Sunderland
There are 4,367 unique commercial properties in Sunderland with a certificate on the Energy Performance of Buildings Register. Of those, 3,496 – 80.1% – are rated below EPC B, which is 4.0 percentage points worse 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 Sunderland, Washington, Houghton Le Spring, Houghton-Le-Spring, Tyne And Wear. Average floor area is 753 m² and the average asset rating is 77.
955 certificates in the district have expired (21.9% of the total), of which 129 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+ | 13 | 0.3% | – | |
| A | 145 | 3.3% | -0.8 | |
| B | 713 | 16.3% | -3.2 | |
| C | 1,477 | 33.8% | +0.6 | |
| D | 1,190 | 27.2% | +1.5 | |
| E | 635 | 14.5% | +1.6 | |
| F | 85 | 1.9% | – | |
| G | 109 | 2.5% | – |
Commercial stock by sector
| Sector | Properties | Share | Share, shown as a bar |
|---|---|---|---|
| Retail & financial services | 1,711 | 39.2% | |
| Offices & workshops | 808 | 18.5% | |
| Restaurants, cafes & pubs | 608 | 13.9% | |
| Storage & distribution | 424 | 9.7% | |
| General & special industrial | 326 | 7.5% | |
| Hospitals & care homes | 104 | 2.4% | |
| Assembly & leisure | 94 | 2.2% | |
| Primary healthcare | 67 | 1.5% |
Floor area – who the 2031 standard catches
The 2031 EPC B standard is expected to apply only to buildings over 1,000 m². In Sunderland that line falls here:
| Floor area | Properties | Share | Share, shown as a bar |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 250 m² | 2,485 | 56.9% | |
| 250–500 m² | 795 | 18.2% | |
| 500–1,000 m² | 443 | 10.1% | |
| 1,000–2,500 m² | 383 | 8.8% | |
| 2,500–10,000 m² | 222 | 5.1% | |
| Over 10,000 m² | 39 | 0.9% |
Find your building in Sunderland
Search the register by postcode and see every certificate on your property, free.
For editors and journalists
Quote – attributable to evenEco
Please attribute to evenEco and link to evenhub.uk/commercial/areas/sunderland/. 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 – Sunderland
| Measure | Figure |
|---|---|
| Commercial properties analysed | 4,367 |
| Below EPC B | 3,496 (80.1%) |
| Below EPC E – unlettable without exemption | 194 (4.4%) |
| Over 1,000 m² and below EPC B | 391 |
| Expired certificates | 955 (21.9%) |
| Average floor area | 753 m² |
| National rank (share below EPC B) | 67 of 319 |
Common questions
How many commercial properties in Sunderland are below EPC B?
3,496 of 4,367 – 80.1% of the commercial stock on the register. That is 4.0 percentage points worse than the England and Wales average of 76.1%.
How many buildings in Sunderland are caught by the 2031 EPC B standard?
391 commercial buildings in Sunderland 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 Sunderland are already unlettable?
194 are rated F or G. Letting those without a registered exemption has been unlawful since 1 April 2023. A further 129 have an expired certificate that was rated F or G.
Where does Sunderland rank nationally?
67 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
South Kesteven
80.2% below EPC B · 2,521 properties
See the data →Darlington
80.2% below EPC B · 2,052 properties
See the data →Nuneaton and Bedworth
80.1% below EPC B · 1,796 properties
See the data →Herefordshire, County of
80.1% below EPC B · 3,360 properties
See the data →North Lincolnshire
80.1% below EPC B · 2,633 properties
See the data →Ashfield
80.1% below EPC B · 1,720 properties
See the data →