Easton Bevins are a Chartered Building Surveying and Architectural Design consultancy.

We have been established for over 20 years providing services in the south and southwest. We are qualified to provide EPCs (Energy Performance Certificates) and DECs (Display Energy Certificates) under the Energy Performance of Buildings (Certificates and Inspections) (England and Wales) Regulations 2007.

ENERGY PERFORMANCE CERTIFICATES

Q)    What is an Energy Performance Certificate?

A)    An energy performance certificate is a document (similar to that found on vehicles and appliances) that will provide an energy rating for a building.  You will need an EPC whenever a building or part of a building is constructed, sold or let.  It will provide valuable information for potential purchasers and tenants on the energy performance and efficiency. It will be accompanied by a recommendation report which will provide information on how to upgrade the energy performance and the payback period for carrying out any improvements.

Q)    When do I need an Energy Performance Certificate?

A)    From the 6th April 2008 any building other than dwellings with a total floor area greater than 10,000m2 will require an EPC on construction, sale or let.
 
From the 1st July 2008 any building other than a dwelling with a total floor area greater than 2,500m2 will require an EPC on construction, sale or let.

From the 1st October 2008 all buildings that are not dwellings will require an EPC on construction, sale or let.  

Even if you possess a DEC, if your building meets the above criteria and is constructed, sold or let, you will require an EPC. If the building has an EPC then the asset rating will need to be included on the DEC.

Q)    Who needs to provide the Energy Performance Certificate?

A)    When a building is constructed or modified in such a way that it includes the provision or extension of services then it is the person carrying out the works responsibility to obtain and provide an EPC to the owner of the building and to notify Building Control that this has been done. A Building Regulation completion certificate will not be issued until this is satisfied.

If a building is to be offered for sale or let, then it is the responsibility of the seller or the prospective landlord to make an EPC available to prospective buyers/tenants. A lease assignment is considered to be a sale or letting and therefore the above applies. The only exceptions are lease renewals or extensions, compulsory purchase orders and lease surrenders.

It is very clear that the onus is on the seller/landlord to ensure that it is in place, not the agent (if one is being used) and it is their responsibility to ensure that the agent is acting correctly in complying with the regulations.

Q)    Who can carry out the energy assessment and produce an Energy Performance Certificate?

A)    The assessment and EPC must be produced by an ACCREDITED ENERGY ASSESSOR who is a member of a recognised Government approved accreditation scheme. Easton Bevins’ staff are qualified to Level 4 under the Government approved accreditation scheme.  This means that we are able to carry out Assessments on approximately 90% of all buildings which can be modelled using the Government approved calculation methodology, SBEM (Simplified Building Energy Model).

Q)    What information do I need to provide?

A)    The Assessor will need to understand the internal layout of the building and the purpose for which the space is to be used in order to understand the energy demands of the space. The Assessor will need to know the size of the spaces and therefore a survey will be required, unless you are in possession of accurate dimensioned or to scale building layout plans. The Assessor will also need to know what lighting, heating and ventilation systems and services are provided for all areas, to include type of fuel, system, metering and controls. The Assessor will also need to identify the construction of the fabric of the building and the thermal performance of each element (walls, floors, roof etc). This is why Easton Bevins as Chartered Building Surveyors are most suited to providing you with the service required. All of our staff have extensive knowledge of all types of buildings and are able to quickly and efficiently identify different types of construction and elements to enable the correct calculations to be completed.

WHAT DO I DO NEXT?

Easton Bevins have fully qualified ACCREDITED ENERGY ASSESSORS to assist in the production of EPCs and DECs.  Collection of information for the production of DECs should have commenced already.  To ensure you meet the requirements of the Regulations or if you need further information, please contact Michael Sage on 07841 502928 or any of our offices.

Lots more information can be found at our EPC website www.epcadvice.org.