Energy Performance Certificates
Commercial property sellers and landlords are required by law to provide an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) for all buildings or parts of buildings when they are sold or rented. Those carrying out the construction of a building will be required to provide an EPC to the owner once the building is complete.
An Energy Performance Certificate gives prospective buyers or tenants information about the energy efficiency and carbon emissions of a building.
Business end-users account for for 32% of the UK’s greenhouse gas emissions. Improving the energy efficiency of a commercial property is one of the government’s key targets.
CSR Energy understand your property needs, as well as understanding your buildings.
Measures to achieve these targets are being put in place in the form of Energy
Performance Certificates (EPCs).
In the case of new homes, you will get a shorter Recommendation Report which contains more advanced energy improvements such as solar panels. This is because most money-saving improvements will have already been included in the design of the home (so the actual and potential ratings are likely to be very similar). Since 14 December 2008, all residential properties being sold in England and Wales require an Energy Performance Certificate and Home Information Pack before they can be marketed.
By 2009, all buildings in the UK that are constructed, sold or rented out will have to have an Energy Performance Certificate.
Predicted Energy Assessments
- If you are marketing a home off-plan, you will need to have a PEA (Predicted Energy Assessment) in the HIP to give to potential buyers. Once the home is physically complete the PEA in the HIP should be replaced with an EPC and Recommendation Report.
- PEAs are based on the predicted SAP rating for the home. This will be available from calculations done at the design stage and is a number between 1 and 100.
On Construction Energy Performance Certificates
- 6th April 2008 - EPC's required for new build properties for completion certificate to be granted
All new build properties will require a full EPC regardless of if they are being marketed for sale or not. A valid EPC needs to be obtained and given to the owner of the property before the building control inspector will issue a completion certificate. This also applies to properties which undergo building work that creates or combines a separate dwelling that has heating, hot water or air conditioning. (A separate dwelling is one which is suitable for separate occupation by an independent household and may have its own front door, cooking and washing facilities)
For further details please contact us where we can advise accordingly on any of the above issues.
