Energy Performance Certificates

From 6th April 2008 Energy Performance Certificates (EPCs) became a compulsory part of the Home Information Pack.  EPCs can only be produced by qualified and accredited Energy Assessors who work through an Accrediting Body certified by Government. This is to ensure that the highest standards are maintained and the correct procedures are adhered to.   The accrediting body carries out spot checks of an Assessor’s work, and there is a requirement for the Assessor to maintain Continuing Professional Development (CPD) to retain accreditation.  

An EPC can only be produced as the end product of a SAP calculation via the software in which the calculation was performed.  Should the energy assessor not have this facility, another Assessment would possibly have to be commissioned by an accredited assessor.  The EPC reflects the assessor’s skill, and an accredited assessor is unlikely to agree to enter another assessor’s calculations into the software without first auditing them – amounting virtually to another SAP being performed.  In this case the Assessor who puts his or her name to the SAP would be held legally responsible for its accuracy, not the original Assessor.

When the property has been completed and emissions compliance determined, this is called the As-Built stage.  The property must then be registered with the Landmark database, in which every property in the UK will eventually be registered.  This process results in a registration number being issued, without which the EPC cannot be retrieved – a process which aids, but does not guarantee, that only interested parties can obtain the document.

As the end product of such a lengthy procedure and complex series of calculations, it can be seen that as well as the EPC being a certificate verifying the compliance of the building both by design and in final construction to the Building Regulations, the EPC also indicates the quality of build and the efficiency of the building in all aspects as regards the conservation of heat and power. As such it also represents a lot of time and effort and the value of EPCs cannot be emphasized too much.

Since 6th April 2008 Energy Performance Certificates are required on completion of all new dwellings. To enable EPCs to be produced from the Design Saps it is necessary to produce an As-Built SAP, verifying that the building has been built using the Design SAP specifications.  At this point the developer needs to provide:

• Written confirmation that the unit(s) have been completed to the specification upon which the Design Stage SAP calculation was based, that the dwelling conforms to the baseline criteria specified in the SAP, and that the elements used in the build fabrics are correctly detailed in the u-value calculations.
• A schedule of Air Testing created by the appointed Air Tester, or a regime of Air Testing agreed (in writing) by NHBC. 
• A schedule showing which similar plots will be covered by each agreed test.
• Copies of all Air test results for the dwelling(s) should be provided to the Assessor to put on file for future reference.
• Postal Addresses for all plots including Post Codes. This is essential since EPCs are issued for each building based on the postal address previously logged with Landmark.