nnw49 - the document says: "generators who can demonstrate that it is not possible to obtain an EPC certificate for the building to which their solar PV installation is attached or wired to provide electricity will be exempt fromthe energy efficiency requirement." 

However, the key works there are "attached or wired". It goes on to say: "We expect the instances in which this exemption will apply will be very limited. This is because it should be possible to obtain an EPC for any building that meets the definition of building set out in the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive ... in many cases we expect that solar pv insallations which are attached to a building for which it is not possible to obtain an EPC will nonetheless be wired to provide electricity to a building that is."

So an installation on a barn that feeds electricity to a farmhouse, will need an EPC for the farmhouse.

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I see they are handling the overspend by cutting the rates even more sharply, depending on the overspread I understand  that the rate could drop from 21p now to 13.6p. Although it appears that homeowners would not have to spend on insulating the property. In that case the rate would still only fall to  4.7 p

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The trouble with using EPC ratings is that one of the best ways of getting EPC points is to have a condensing gas boiler.

If the property is off the gas grid that isn't an option! Even a relatively well insulated rural property with renewables including heating (e.g. wood fired boiler / solar thermal) may well struggle to reach a SAP rating of D because the cost of the wood is rated much higher than gas - even though the CO2 rating of the house will be much lower.

How is someone going to get a barn or other outbuilding - which is often a good place the site PV - to have an EPC rating of D?

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