Property specialists have claimed that Home Information Packs (Hips) and Energy Performance Certificates (EPCs) are not trusted by many landlords and property solicitors.Real estate specialist Savills said that a consensus of landlords preferred to carry out energy ratings themselves, suggesting that energy efficiency drives in home design would not be taken as seriously as the Hips scheme had suggested.All properties for sale in England and Wales are now obliged to provide Hips, with advice site Idea1st.co.uk offering homeowners cost free kitchen changes to ensure a good EPC rating.With kitchens typically consuming a large proportion of household energy, the site urged people to turn down fridge thermometer levels, while also taking the simple step of only boiling the necessary amount of water for the hot drink required.But Lucian Cook, director of research at Savills, called into question the usefulness of Hips, claiming At the top end of the market you can imagine that that would be the case because solicitors will want to do their own surveys to make sure that there arent any issues.The general conclusion is that they are not really being used at all. If they are not of use to buyers, they add an administrative burden in bringing properties to market. You do question their value.