How is an EPC produced?

 

A Commercial Energy Performance surveyor will conduct a survey of your building. Construction methods used in walls, floors, ceilings, windows and roof are recorded on to data collection sheets. A floor plan will be drawn of the building if one is not provided, this will record all physical dimensions of each area. The building is then divided into ‘zones’ which are the physical boundaries of each area, the zones are then subdivided if necessary taking into account distances from windows and roof lights. Each zone has to represent an area of activity i.e. office, canteen, corridor etc.

 

Once the building is zoned the heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) that serves each zone is recorded as well as the lighting type. The energy assessor will usually have to speak with the manufacturers of plant to ascertain information such as seasonal efficiency of boilers, fan power, power outputs etc – this can lead to some time consuming detective work.

 

This data is then uploaded to piece of software called SBEM (simplified building energy model) A database is created first to record construction and HVAC. ‘Envelopes’ (floors, walls, ceiling/roof, doors, windows) are then created for each zone and all related energy usage is linked.

 

Once the software has all the information it requires, it can calculate the CO2 emissions of the building and generates a graphical document showing the result listed as A – G. The closer to A, the more energy efficient the building is. The software also generates a separate recommendation report with the EPC and your assessor will generally email these documents as a .PDF file.

 

Once you’ve received the EPC report, it should be reviewed and any comments made to the assessor within 3 working days. When this is done, your assessor will upload and lodge the EPC to the National Register where it will remain valid for a period 10 years or until a new EPC is commissioned.

 

 

Don’t delay !

You must make an EPC available to any prospective buyer or tenant when selling or letting commercial buildings at the time the property goes to market. In fact, many companies are commissioning EPC’s now to understand their buildings’ current emission rate even though they are not selling or letting.


Penalties for not having an EPC

Local authorities (usually by their Trading Standards Officers) are responsible for enforcing the requirement to have an EPC on sale or let of a building. Failure to make available an EPC when required by the Regulations means you may be liable to a civil penalty charge notice. Trading Standards Officers may act on complaints or undertake investigations. They may request you to provide them with a copy of the EPC and recommendation report that you were under a duty to provide. If asked, you must provide this information within seven days of the request or be liable again to a penalty charge notice. A copy of an EPC can be requested at any time up to six months after the last day for compliance with when the duty was to make it available.

The penalty for failing to make an EPC available to any prospective buyer or tenant when selling or letting non-dwellings is fixed, in most cases, at 12.5 per cent of the rateable value of the building, with a default penalty of £750 where the formula cannot be applied. The range of penalties under this formula are set with a minimum of £500 and capped at a maximum of £5,000.

‘Those companies that have commissioned an EPC and are waiting for an assessor to produce their report are working within the legislation’

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