Services

Sensum can provide Energy Performance Certificates for homes in the East Grinstead area. Our Domestic Energy Assessor (DEA), Tania Warnock, is accredited by the NHER Accreditation Scheme. We are members of Greener Horizons, an association of local DEA and Home Inspectors who are all fully accredited and operate to the same high standards as Sensum. In the event that we can’t do an assessment at the time required, we can put you in touch with an alternative assessor from Greener Horizons.

Sensum provides a professional service. Tania is punctual, smart, polite and conducts herself in an ethical manner. Your property and possessions will be treated with respect. Sensum complies fully with the Data Protection Act and so all personal information gathered about you is treated as confidential.

After you have received your Energy Performance Certificate, Sensum can provide any clarification you need about the certificate. This may include an explanation of the Energy and Environmental performance ratings and the ‘recommendations for improvement measures’.

The inspection will last between 1 and 2 hours depending on the size of property. In exceptional circumstances, more time may be needed.

Prior to the assessment, you will be asked to complete a Seller’s Questionnaire which gives the DEA information needed to prepare properly for the assessment.

Identification of the age, construction, materials, services provided and available and measurements form the basis for the inspection of the building, therefore the DEA needs access to the exterior of the property, all rooms in the house plus any cellars, lofts or rooms-in-the-roof. During the assessment, the DEA undertakes a methodical visual inspection of all relevant parts of the property, takes measurements and makes notes. The DEA needs to see the boiler and any gas or electricity meters. Your permission will be sought to take photographs to support the information recorded about the property.

The inspection is not destructive or invasive and won’t cause any significant permanent marking, damage, harm or injury to the building fabric. Reporting on the condition of the property and any improvement costs is outside the scope of the Energy Performance Certificate.

After the assessment, you will be asked to complete a Quality Assurance Consent Form. This form is provided by the NHER Accreditation Scheme and seeks your permission to help them with auditing of the Domestic Energy Assessor. You don’t have to give your consent; the form asks for your contact details only and does not require you to comment on the DEA’s performance.

 

When it has been generated, the EPC is contained in a PDF file. This is typically a six page report showing the energy efficiency and environmental impact ratings and giving information on estimated energy used by the home, its CO2 emissions, general information on the EPC and recommendations for improving the performance ratings.

This EPC PDF file can be emailed or printed according to the client’s requirements.

 

Sensum endeavours to give you an appointment time for the assessment that suits you. We are able to provide some evening and weekend appointments. Sensum will produce and upload the EPC onto the Communities and Local Government’s Register of EPCs within three working days of the inspection.

 

All EPCs are electronically registered on the Communities and Local Government’s Register of EPCs. An EPC is not valid until it has been entered on this Register and has been allocated a Report Reference Number. Access to the database is restricted, so only those who have the reference number can access the EPC for a particular property.

 

The accreditation scheme ensures that members are ‘fit and proper’ persons to be a Domestic Energy Assessor; 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.

 

The DEA Accreditation Scheme requires that all members should operate an appropriate customer complaint policy. Sensum’s policy comprises three stages that escalate the complaint:

Stage 1 – contact the person you first dealt with
Stage 2 – write to the General Manager
Stage 3 – refer the matter to the NHER Accreditation Scheme

Written details are available on request.

 

Sensum is required to maintain certain personal data about individuals for the purposes of satisfying operational and legal obligations. Sensum recognises the importance of the correct and lawful treatment of personal data. This personal data, whether it is held on paper, on computer or other media, will be subject to the appropriate legal safeguards as specified in the Data Protection Act 1998.

Sensum fully endorses and adheres to the principles of the Data Protection Act. These principles specify the legal conditions that must be satisfied in relation to obtaining, handling, processing, transportation and storage of personal data. Employees and any others who obtain, handle, process, transport and store personal data for Sensum must adhere to these principles.