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Non-Domestic Energy Performance Certificates

In 2006 the Gov't began implementing the demands of the EU-EPBD (Energy Performance of Buildings Directive) with a view to raising the overall energy efficiency of our building stock. Part of this legislature was a requirement for Energy Performance Certificates, inspection of certain plant and equipment and provision of suitably qualified expert assessors. This is now law and there are two areas of concern to building owner / operators - which is what I will try and set out clearly below.

EPC's are structured around evaluating the physical asset - the building - to determine its standardised expected performance. The process entails considering materials, structure, layout and installed equipment to derive a "potential" level of energy consumption (and hence emissions to the atmosphere) for the building to function as intended. This is straightforward for new builds as it is part of the compliance procedure with Building Reg's and is demonstrated by entering all the data into iSBEM (the interface to the Standard Building Energy Methodology) to produce a bar chart certificate indicating expected CO₂ emissions with "A" being best and "G" worst - bit like the energy rating for your fridge.

These certificates must be obtained for any non-dwelling when it handed over at the point of completion, or made available to any prospective buyer, occupier or lessee. Each certificate shall be accompanied by an automatically generated set of improvement recommendations. If you don't have an EPC you can be fined anywhere from £500 to £5,000!!!!!

Energy Performance Certificates - Scotland

Legislation for EPC's for all new buildings was introduced in Scotland on 1 May 2007. For existing buildings, an EPC will be required when the property is sold or rented out to new tenants. Once in place an EPC is valid for 10 years.

The timetable for introduction is as follows:

Category	Date of Introduction
Sale - dwellings	1 December 2008
Sale - all other buildings	4 January 2009
Rental	4 January 2009
Public buildings	Must be on display by 4 January 2009

Who can Produce an EPC? In Scotland, there is no specified qualification for energy assessors. The Scottish Government has entered into protocol with professional organisations/institutions whose members already have an understanding of the building/energy sectors. Only members of protocol organisations may produce EPC's for existing buildings. As an accredited (affiliate) member of the Energy Institute I am able to supply you with your EPC. However, just to make sure I am providing a proper service I have also undergone the full training programme with Rigmaden / ABBE allowing me to practice at Level 3 and soon Level 4 (both are non-domestic).

If you want a domestic EPC I can put you in touch with a very nice chap called John McLaughlan who offers an extremely cost effective service and who seems very happy to travel around the whole of Scotland - email me.

Types of Certificate - two certificates have been produced, one for dwellings (but I am not involved in this market) and one for all other buildings (this includes ‘Public Buildings’). A typical public building EPC will look like this:

Typical Level 3 NDEPC

Public Buildings - In order to be considered a Public Building, the building must meet all of the criteria outlined in Section 6.9 of the Technical Handbooks - the basis of which can be viewed by following the link below

http://www.sbsa.gov.uk/european_issues/euroguidance.htm

Enforcement - responsibility for enforcement lies with the Local Authority.

Display Energy Certificates are a different beast again!

DEC's are designed to show the actual energy performance of a building, that is actual current emissions against a standard benchmark whereas the EPC's evaluate the potential emissions based on design criteria.

DEC's are designed to raise public awareness of energy use and advise visitors to public buildings as to how well thee properties are performing - they are restricted only to public buildings at this time.

The buildings affected must be >1000m² of total useful floor area, be occupied by public authorities or institutions providing public services to a large number of persons and therefore frequently visited by these persons - for example, libraries, village halls, council offices etc.

Here's the rub - DEC's are supposed to be in place from October 1st 2008 - that's right - they are supposed to be law right now!

However, as the training of approved assessors has only just begin there are concessions being made. If you are worried or unsure about your need for an EPC or a DEC I would suggest that you call me to check or call the helpline on 0845 365 2468.

For a building to require a DEC it must have a roof and walls and use energy to "condition" its internal climate, that is, it must have heating, mechanical ventilation, air conditioning or any combination of these services.

The DEC is scaled in terms of Operational Rating (OR) from A-G to indicate relative levels of CO₂ emissions where A is best and G worst. The DEC should also show the OR from the two previous years. OR is based on amount of energy consumed during the last 12 months of occupation and is calculated using approved software. It is vital that your assessor is provided with accurate and up to date information about energy use and size. The floor area of the building must be confirmed within the calculation so we need an accurate measurement of the whole floor area, floor by floor from the inside of the outside walls.

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