Knowing the variability between Non-Domestic Energy Performance Certificate Assessors can assist everyone make the correct decision when it comes to the crunch.
The
survey on a commercial property is carried out in much greater depth
than for residential properties. It is usual for a site visit to take a
minimum of two hours, although more complex properties can take a day or
more. Once all the information is collected from the site visit, the
assessor needs to spend about the same time again 'Modelling' the
property with specialist software, adding in the heating, cooling,
lighting and hot water systems for each zone. Once this is done a rating
is produced, along with a recommendation report. If a home has an EPC
Grade A energy rating, it’s doing everything it can to minimise energy
usage. On average, homes across the UK usually have an energy rating of
grade D - meaning they’re not as energy efficient as they could be. The
EPC will also determine the cost of running the home as well as advisory
home improvements to help improve your rating and move further up the
scale. When buying, renting or building a home, Energy Performance
Certificates (EPC) are very important as they provide a rating for how
much energy our homes use, which can help us to understand the impact
they have on the environment. The current energy rating given on the EPC
is based on the features of the house was built and any subsequent
energy efficiency improvements undertaken eg, additonal insulation. The
accompanying recommendation report lists any additional cost effective
measures that assessor has identified to further improve the energy
efficiency of the house. By carrying out these additional cost effective
measures you can achieve your potential energy rating. The UK
government hopes that SECR, a new mandatory energy and carbon reporting
scheme for larger companies, will give organisations a clearer picture
of their energy use, incentivising carbon reduction. There is a
reputational driver too – reports will be publicly available, allowing
increased transparency for investors and other stakeholders. Taking the
time and effort to invest in improving your property’s energy efficiency
ensures that it is more attractive to potential tenants and buyers.
Operating from a property that is cheaper to run provides more
opportunities to invest in other areas, while reducing operating costs.
An
EPC, or Energy Performance Certificate is a guide with information for
prospective tenants and property buyers covering the property in
question’s energy efficiency. EPCs detail how well and efficiently the
said property uses energy and manages its use throughout the year. It
also routinely states a calculated projected average cost of running the
property based on the efficiency results. Whether you are a landlord,
renting a property, or buying or selling one, it is important that at
the time that the occupation of the property changes hands, an Energy
Performance Certificate is also provided. If a landlord searches the
Internet they will be quoted prices over and under £100 for an EPC.
Some of the low cost Energy Performance Certificate on further
inspection are not quite as attractive as they first appear. With many
headline rates excluding VAT. Others offer variable rates for different
sized properties and needless to say the low price only applies to a one
bed property. An energy performance certificate shows the Energy
Efficiency Rating which is a measure of the home’s overall efficiency.
The certificate also lists actions you can take to save money on energy
bills and approximate savings costs. A service such as a mees regulations is an invaluable asset in the heady world of business.
Potential Energy Rating
Most
property owners and occupiers will be aware of the EPC (Energy
Performance Certificate) as those letting residential premises are
required to achieve a minimum E rating and have done for some time. In
contrast, the rules regarding non-residential property have not been so
strict, and even in the future, many non-residential premises may be
entitled to exemptions from the regime. All non-domestic EPC’s must be
performed by an accredited Low Carbon Energy Assessor and lodged on a
central register. The Low Carbon Energy Assessor is also required to
visit the site to verify the installation reflects the as-built
information. After the survey, and on receipt of all as-built
information, the EPC can then be lodged on the central register and will
be issued. EPCs are valid for 10 years and can be reused as required
within that period. A new EPC is not required each time there is a
change of tenancy, or the property is sold, provided it is no more than
10 years old. Where more than one is produced, the most recent EPC is
the valid one. An EPC tells you how energy efficient your property is on
a scale of A-G with A being the most efficient. The certificate also
tells you on a scale of A-G about the impact the property has on the
environment. The EPC will make recommendations about how a property’s
energy efficiency can be improved, and will show the potential rating is
these works are carried out. The average property in the UK is rated
D-E. You will need an EPC whenever you are selling, renting or building a
home for sale. You have to have a valid Energy Performance Certificate
before you market your property to either sell or rent in England and
Wales. You cannot list your home on property portals without displaying
the EPC on the listing. In Scotland, the EPC must be displayed somewhere
in your property, for instance in the meter cupboard or next to the
boiler. There are multiple approaches to facilitating a mees in the workplace.
If
your property is not found to be energy efficient, a technician will
give you suggestions to improve the ratings with few strategic
solutions. In addition to reducing your energy bills, this approach can
help reduce Carbon-di-oxide emissions. The length of time between
ordering an energy assessment and receiving an EPC will vary depending
on the provider used. The process will likely take longer while the
coronavirus pandemic continues, especially during periods of lockdown.
Generally, you can expect to wait two or three days between requesting
an assessment and having a DEA visit your home. It then takes a couple
of days for the certificate to be created and sent to you. Under most
circumstances, the whole process can be completed within a week. To
become a member of an accreditation scheme the energy assessor must:
demonstrate their competence, either by having a recognised
qualification from an awarding body or approved prior experience and
learning equivalent to the national occupational standard requirements;
maintain appropriate professional indemnity cover • update their skills
and knowledge regularly; participate in the accreditation scheme quality
assurance procedures and abide by the accredited scheme advice and
guidance. You can obtain an EPC certificate by visiting the EPC Register
website and locating an assessor in your area. You will be required to
share a copy of the completed assessment with prospective tenants, or
prior to producing marketing materials for the sale or let of a
property. MEES regulations set a minimum energy efficiency level for
domestic, private rented properties – if your property’s EPC rating is E
or above, you’re compliant with the regulations and can breathe a sigh
of relief – at least for now. A solid understanding of commercial epc makes any related process simple and hassle free.
How Long Does It Take To Get An Epc Certificate?
The
Energy Performance Certificate is needed by vendors when selling a
property and by Landlords when renting. All Rented properties in the UK
must have a rating of ‘E’ or higher. If your property is currently being
rented with an ‘F’ rating or you are worried that your property may not
reach an E rating, then please do not hesitate to contact me, as I
support and provide consulting to many Landlords in assisting them to
apply easy cost effective improvements to their lettings properties and
piece of mind that they are fully compliant as landlords. The EPC
assessment considers issues that directly affect the efficiency of the
property. This includes insulation, the heating system and lighting. It
doesn’t consider the overall quality or condition of the property. The
assessment also produces recommendations on how the energy-efficiency
can be improved. It is illegal for a property to be advertised for rent
without an EPC in place. The landlord or letting agent must be able to
produce a copy of the EPC free of charge for any person interested in
renting a property. You need to see one before signing the tenancy
agreement. The EPC ratings are standard, allowing you to compare
properties against each other. A good EPC score is beneficial for
business owners in many of the same ways it is for homeowners and
renters. As commercial properties such as offices and warehouses are
often larger than residential homes, improving your EPC rating (and
therefore your energy-efficiency), will help you save a large amount on
your business overheads. An EPC cost can vary. However, this cost will
be much lower for the majority of properties. All homes are required to
have an EPC before they can be sold or let. That being said there is no
benefit to choosing expensive providers so make sure you shop around for
the best deal. It can often be cheaper to go directly to a domestic
energy assessor in comparison to getting one through an estate agent.
Professional assistance in relation to epc commercial property can make or break a commercial building project.
From
1 April 2018, the Minimum Energy Efficiency Standards (MEES) have
required private landlords of homes rated at Energy Performance
Certificate (EPC) Bands F or G to improve their property to E before
issuing a new tenancy on it, unless they obtain an exemption. From 1
April 2020 the MEES was extended to include existing tenancies as long
as the property has an EPC (unless an exemption applies). Most freehold
and leasehold properties in the UK need an EPC. Although there are a few
exceptions, the reality is that most properties let within the private
rented sector will need to comply. To obtain an EPC, you will need to
have your property inspected by an accredited energy assessor, or you
can ask the estate agent to arrange one for you. Once the inspection is
carried out, a certificate will be produced – the EPC. This certificate
will then be valid for ten years. Commercial buildings utilize a lot of
energy to operate, from the electricity, the heating and cooling, as
well as the day-to-day activities that occur. It makes these buildings
incredibly expensive to keep open and operating. By making the
investment in creating energy efficient commercial buildings, many of
these costs can be drastically reduced. An EPC will help us understand
how much energy is required to heat your hot water supply and how much
money you should expect to receive for installing this technology
through RHI payments. A well-thought-out strategy appertaining to non domestic epc register can offer leaps and bounds in improvements.
Improving Your Rating
Government
policies targeting net zero emissions by 2050 bring sharp focus to both
the purpose of, and projected changes to, MEES requirements. The
property industry has a significant role to play in reducing carbon
emissions and maximising energy efficiency to tackle climate change, and
MEES constitute an energy efficiency strategy designed to steer
collective action. An Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) will tell you
how energy efficient a property is and gives it a rating from A to G
(an 'A' rating being very efficient). EPC certificates could help you to
buy a home that wastes less energy, show you what your energy bills
might be and give you an estimate of the carbon emissions it produces.
The Government currently estimates that around 10% of non-domestic let
buildings are below the ‘E’ rating. As of 1 April 2023, a landlord can
only lawfully continue to let a non-domestic building if the building
has an energy rating of ‘E’. It is possible that in the period after
2023, the landlord’s building does not have a valid EPC because,
although one was obtained when the lease was granted, it has expired –
EPCs only have a 10-year lifespan. You can discover extra facts on the
topic of Non-Domestic Energy Performance Certificate Assessors at this UK Government Portal article.
Related Articles:
Background Information About Commercial Energy Performance Assessors
Background Insight On Fully Accredited Energy Assessors
Extra Information With Regard To Domestic and Commercial EPC Assessors
Further Insight On Fully Accredited Commercial Energy Assessors
More Background Findings On Non-Domestic EPC Assessors
Additional Findings About Fully Accredited Energy Assessors
More Insight On Professionally Qualified Domestic Energy Contractors