Commercial EPC,Milton Keynes,Bucks,MK,NN,LU,OX

Which buildings need an EPC?  

Energy Performance Certificates are required for non-domestic commercial buildings on construction, sale or rent, starting with the largest buildings from 6 April 2008. Some building modifications which result in the addition or removal of building parts and the extension or introduction of Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning (HVAC) services will also require an EPC. Implementation started with buildings with a gross floor area over 10,000 m2 (measured from the internal faces of the external walls). This was extended to buildings over 2,500 m2 on 1st July 2008, and nearly all non-domestic commercial buildings will require an EPC at one of the above trigger points from 1st October 2008.

The following types of building do not require an Energy Performance Certificate:  

Which buildings DO NOT need an EPC? 

► Places of worship    

► Stand-alone non-dwellings less than 50 m2  

► Temporary buildings with a planned life less than two years   

► Industrial premises with low energy use where the space is mostly not heated or cooled (such as process and heavy engineering workshops and stores with localised work-station conditioning)   

► Buildings to be demolished within two years

Who can produce EPCs?

Energy Performance Certificates and Recommendation Reports can only be produced by a qualified and accredited commercial energy assessor. The accreditation and competence of the assessor must be suitable for the complexity of the building. For non-dwellings this is on a scale of 3 to 5, ranging from a simply-serviced naturally ventilated building at level 3, to a complex air-conditioned or highly-serviced industrial building at level 5. We are accredited for level 3 and 4 buildings, which covers more than 95% of the market.

Whats Involved?

An accredited Energy Assessor will produce the EPC in accordance with the legislation, which will include, but not be limited to, the following tasks:Visit a property to conduct an energy assessment for an existing building, collecting information on the property, which includes:

a)            Establish property type (this includes build type, age, extensions etc)

b)            Measure property dimensions. Site notes will include floor plan diagram to determine floor area, room height and heat loss wall perimeter. If there are extensions and/or conservatories these can be added and considered separately.

c)             Visual inspection to determine construction type (stone, brick, cavity wall etc). This will also identify if cavity wall or external insulation has been installed (presence of drill pattern).

d)            Visual inspection of the loft space to determine insulation levels (this inspection should not require full access to the loft, it should be a visual inspection through the loft hatch).

e)            Visual inspection to determine the proportion of windows that are double glazed.

f)              Visual inspection to determine the presence and number of open fireplaces, photovoltaic cells and low energy lighting.

g)            Visual inspection to determine the type of space and water heating systems. This includes identifying the type of boiler and heating controls as well as visual assessment of the hot water cylinder (where present).

h)            Visual inspection of the electricity/gas meters.

i)              Determine whether there is mechanical ventilation present.

k)             Photographs that may be required include:                                                              

                  i.      External view of front elevation of the property                                                            

                 ii.      External view of rear elevation of the property                                                           

                iii.      External view of any extensions                                                            

                 iv.      Close-up of wall construction types and alternative walls (if applicable)                                                             

                 v.      View of alternative wall construction                                                           

                 vi.      View of roof insulation                                                          

                vii.     Example of typical window                                                        

               viii.     PV and solar panels                                                          

                ix.      Boilers, showing recognition features                                                            

                x.      Heating controls, e.g. Programmers, roomstats, TRVs                                                          

               xi.      Secondary heating (if applicable)                                                         

              xii.      Hot water cylinder                                                       

            xiii.       Electric and gas meters

Use of an approved software programme to produce the EPC, Simplified Building Energy Model - will be the methodology used. Developed by BRE for Communities and Local Government (CLG). This model demonstrates compliance with the requirements of Part L2 of the Building Regulations for new and refurbished commercial buildings.  This will provide an energy rating for the energy efficiency of and carbon emissions generated by the building.  A recommendation report will also be produced and attached to the certificate, providing details on ways to improve the energy efficiency and what impacts such improvements might have on the rating.

The energy assessor will then lodge the certificate onto a national register (Landmark) via the accreditation scheme and provide an electronic copy of the certificate and the recommendation report.