Methodologies & Limitations: ClimateIndex and EPC data (reports produced prior to 27/06/2024)

ClimateIndex

Groundsure's ClimateIndex™ is an assessment of the physical risk to the property from hazards which may be exacerbated by climate change. It considers the following hazards only:

• River flooding
• Flooding from the sea and tidal waters
• Surface water flooding
• Shrink swell subsidence
• Coastal erosion

These hazards are assessed using a weighted sum model, which allows for the consistent comparison of hazards between different time periods, emissions scenarios and the relative severity of predicted impacts. All flood and subsidence impacts have been
produced using the latest UKCP18 climate prediction models.

Assessments are provided for the short term (c.5 years) and medium term (c.30 years) only. A range of Representative Concentration Pathways (RCPs) have been used depending on the source dataset and its derivation. For example, flood data has been provided for RCP2.6, 4.5 and 8.5, whereas subsidence data has been derived using local projections only available for RCP8.5. Each RCP variance has been assigned an appropriate weighting in the calculator to reflect the relative likelihood of that scenario and where a full range of RCP scenarios is not available Groundsure have extrapolated to give equivalent values.

The banding applied to a property reflects its current and future risk from the hazards identified above. If a property's banding does not change between the short and medium term the property's risk profile is not considered likely to be affected by climate
change, though risks may still be present. Any increase in the banding of a property indicates that the property has the potential to be affected by climate change.

Energy performance

To provide details of a property-specific Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) we use the address provided with the order and match it to a Unique Property Reference Number (UPRN), a unique identifier curated and managed by Ordnance Survey / local councils. The UPRN is then used to match an EPC to a property. Although Groundsure has invested significant resources to develop an accurate UPRN matching solution, it is possible in a small number of cases that a UPRN could be matched incorrectly. It is encouraged that you verify the EPC used in this report against the online register on gov.uk's service Find an energy certificate to check 1) the address is correct, and 2) the most recent EPC certificate has been reviewed. If a more recent EPC exists for the property, then this latest
certificate must be relied upon rather than the information summarised in this report.

EPC ratings and assessments are based on both observations made by an EPC assessor when visiting a property and on data and assumptions around the age and type of property. This means a property's EPC band can change irrespective of any improvement
works undertaken. Due to, for example, differing levels of access or documentation being provided to the assessor during the visit.

Additionally, the methodologies underpinning EPC calculations are updated periodically.
Where appropriate, Groundsure has calculated and presented an average energy performance rating. This has been aggregated from all valid energy performance certificates that are comparable to your property based on location, property type and size. Where it is not appropriate to consider all of these 3 variables, we may have provided the average rating based on only two of these variables. In some cases, it may be based on just one variable, and in rare instances, it is based on a single national level statistic for all property types and sizes.