An Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) is now required whenever a commercial property is built or offered for sale or let. This brings commercial property in line with domestic properties which have had this requirement for some time. Strictly speaking, this means as soon as the property is marketed rather than when a buyer or tenant is found. New buildings also require an EPC and it must demonstrate that the building meets the target emissions rating for that type and size of building. At present, Sensum doesn't offer EPCs for new buildings.

The penalty for failing to make an EPC available to a prospective buyer or tenant when selling or letting non-dwellings is fixed at 12.5% of the rateable value of the building, subject to a minimum penalty of £500 and a maximum of £5,000. There is a default penalty of £750 where the formula can’t be applied.

The certificate looks very similar to those already produced for domestic properties with a rainbow coloured chart giving a rating from A to G. The most efficient properties, which should have the lowest carbon emissions and lowest fuel bills, are in band A. A property with zero CO2 emissions is rated A+. In practice, very few existing buildings rank higher than C and in my experience D and E ratings are the most common. This is mainly because we have an aging building stock that uses older heating and lighting systems.

The EPC is accompanied by a report giving recommendations as to how energy efficiency may be improved. Recommendations are split into three groups according to how long the measures would take to pay for themselves: less than 3 years, 3-7 years and more than 7 years.

An EPC for a commercial building is valid for 10 years unless it is superseded by a later certificate.

Inspection and report production

There are two stages to producing an EPC: inspecting the building to collect all the relevant information about it and inputting that information into the government approved software that generates the EPC. A lot of information is required so expect the assessor to be with you for a while – at least 1 to 2 hours for a small building; a day or more for a large and complex property. The information required includes:

• Measurements of every wall, floor, ceiling, door and window – the assessor will need to draw a floor plan if the building owner is unable to supply one
• The use of the building and distribution of activities within it
• Details of the main fabric of the building, including how well insulated it is
• The heating, cooling, ventilation and hot water systems used
• Details of the lighting used in each area of the building

Once the assessor has all the necessary information, he or she must compile it and enter it into the EPC software in the way that best represents the building. This is very time consuming and usually takes longer than the building inspection.

Lodging the report

Once the EPC has been generated it must be lodged on the government’s EPC register. This can be found at www.epcregister.com. An EPC can be accessed only by using its unique Report Reference Number.

Exemptions

• Places of worship
• Temporary buildings with a planned time of use of less than two years
• Detached buildings with a total useful floor area of less than 50m2
• Industrial sites, workshops and non-residential agricultural buildings with low energy demand
• Buildings due to be demolished (you must be able to prove this)
• Buildings without fixed heating except where the property requires some heating to perform its intended function (for example, a shop or café would need to use some form of portable heating during the winter for the comfort of staff and customers) or includes any form of personnel accommodation (for example, toilets, tea making facilities, staff room or offices - again, the assumption is that portable heating would be required during the winter)

NHER Accreditation Scheme

We are members of the NHER accreditation scheme; it ensures that members are ‘fit and proper’ persons to be Non-Domestic Energy Assessors; this includes making sure they are properly qualified and checking the Criminal Records Bureau for any convictions. The accreditation scheme provides insurance for its members and monitors the quality of their work. The scheme also enforces a programme of life-long learning to ensure members keep up-to-date with changes in the industry.