Accreditation schemes make sure that domestic energy assessors (DEAs) have the right skills and are able to carry out the survey to agreed standards. These schemes ensure that DEAs:

• adhere to standards, codes of conduct and procedures
• are qualified to conduct an energy assessment, produce the certificate and give advice
• have the correct insurance
• are part of a register
• have had a criminal records check
• have a complaints procedure

Domestic energy assessors may be employed by a company (like an estate agent or energy company) or be self-employed. Always check that your domestic energy assessor belongs to an accreditation scheme.

Finding an accredited energy assessor

You can use the energy performance certificate register website to search for an accredited domestic energy assessor. This website is run by Landmark, on behalf of the government. You can also find accredited domestic energy assessors by searching online or by looking in the phone book.

How long is your EPC valid for?

EPCs are valid for ten years.

What an EPC costs

The price of an EPC is set by the market and will depend on the size and location of your property.

What to do if you are not happy with your EPC

If you are not happy, you should discuss your complaint with the domestic energy assessor who carried out your assessment. All domestic energy assessors must have a complaints process in place, so they should be able to provide you with a copy of their complaints procedure. If the complaint isn’t resolved, you can take it to their accreditation scheme.

When you’ll be given an EPC

By law you should receive an EPC in the following cases:

Buying a home

All sellers of homes need to ensure that they provide an EPC, free of charge to potential buyers.

Buying a newly built property

Buyers of newly built properties should receive an EPC, free of charge.

Renting a property

If you are interested in renting a property, the landlord must make an EPC available to you free of charge. However, you don’t need an EPC when you are thinking of just renting a room with shared facilities rather than renting the whole property.

If you are not in one of the above categories

Even if you don’t fall into the above categories, you can still apply for and receive an EPC from an energy assessor. This may be because you want to know how energy efficient your home is, and make improvements suggested by the recommendation report. Read ‘Energy Performance Certificates – what they are’ to find out more about what an EPC contains.

What happens if you are not given an EPC

If you are not given an EPC when you are entitled to it, you should contact the trading standards department of your local council. Trading standards officers have the power to issue a fixed penalty notice of £200 for domestic properties where an EPC is not provided.

If you are buying a newly built home and an EPC hasn’t been provided, you should contact the building control department of your local council.

Source: www.direct.gov.uk

An Industry Working Group comprising ACRIB, BRE, BSRIA, CIBSE, FETA, HVCA, IoR and Summit Skills has developed this publication to give guidance on meeting these regulations.

Go to our TM44 inspection page to find out how we can help with your TM44 Inspection. And remember we are CIBSE accredited air conditioning inspectors.

TM44 provides guidance on carrying out the required air conditioning inspection within reasonable constraints of time, cost and skills, including specific guidance on generating advice for the user, on a consistent basis. Engineers and energy managers responsible for these systems need to consider how they will comply with the new rules. For systems over 250 kW they have until January 2009 to complete the first inspections, and for the remaining systems over 12 kW they have until January 2011.

Building owners and managers wishing to understand the purpose and scope of the inspection should read at least the introductory section 1 and the explanatory section 6, copies of which could be provided to the building owner/manager by the inspector prior to the inspection. These provide an overview of the inspection, and its potential benefits and subsequent use, to help managers prepare for the visit and to consider what further actions may be appropriate after the inspection. Those wishing to carry out the inspection should read at least sections 1 to 5 as relevant to the types of systems they will assess.

Other parts of the EPBD, and of the Energy Performance of Buildings (Certificates and Inspections) (England and Wales) Regulations 2007, include a requirement for a certificate describing the energy efficiency of the whole building to be prepared and made available on sale or rent of buildings. This certification process will also involve the inspection of buildings to obtain basic details of the building fabric, building services (heating, lighting and air conditioning systems) and other equipment used in the building.

European Regulation (EC) 842/2006, the ‘F-Gas Regulation’, which came into force on 4 July 2007, requires regular inspections of some refrigeration systems to test for leakage of fluorinated greenhouse gas refrigerant from systems. Some refrigeration systems containing cfc or hcfc refrigerants may already be subject to regular leakage testing under European Regulation (EC) 2037/2000 on substances that deplete the ozone layer. And some air conditioning systems will fall under the scope of the Pressure Systems Safety Regulations 2000, which may apply to systems with an installed power in excess of 25 kW.

TM44 also indicates how building owners and managers should be advised to prepare and keep information from all these inspections so that the time needed to carry them out, and hence their cost, can be minimised.

The group advising on the preparation of this document also provided input on behalf of the UK to the Working Groups of CEN TC156 developing European Standards for air conditioning and ventilation system inspection to support the requirements of the EPBD.

SOURCE: CIBSE

Commenting on the second reading of the Energy Bill, Ian Potter, operations manager of ARLA, made the proposals as there are around 500,000 properties in the private residential sector that fall into F and G ratings for energy performance.

However, he welcomed the decision by the government to give landlords until 2018 to make green home improvements as a “practical one”, as poor performing buildings account for 17 per cent of the market.

Mr Potter did stress concern that there is still little detail about how properties are to be made more efficient.

“So far, there is no clarity on how energy improvements will be assessed or enforced – or, importantly, how this assessment will be funded,” he said.

Other proposals in the Bill include making it illegal for landlords to refuse reasonable requests from tenants to make their property more energy efficient from April 2016.

Source: EST and Govtoday

Contact an accredited commercial energy assessor should you would like a Commercial EPC. The consultant will assess the lighting, heating and ventilation within the build and evaluate how they are maintained and controlled. This then enables them to supply the building with an EPC that rates it on an A-G scale, with A being the most energy efficient and G the least. Recipients of Commercial EPS are also given a document outlining steps that could be taken to make the build more energy efficient.

Commercial EPCs allow prospective buyers and tenants to compare buildings in relation to their energy consumption and learn what can be done to enhance energy usage. When a commercial property is being rented or sold, Commercial EPCs have to be provided no later than at the time of a request for a viewing or upon release of marketing material.

Commercial EPCs, which are valid for a decade, can be divided into one of two categories – in the case of new-builds they are enforced by Building Control while existing builds get enforced by Trading Standards departments. Either way, Commercial EPCs are a legal requirement, and must be attained as soon as possible when there is the intention to sell, lease, or build a new commercial property.

Some people may think getting a Commercial EPC is a difficult procedure that requires an extended period of time before it is permitted to market a non dwelling. Yet just one full consultation visit is all that is necessary for a professional commercial energy specialist to prepare the necessary documents. And by obtaining a Commercial EPC in good time, you should escape the fine of 12.5% of the property’s rateable value up to a maximum of £5,000 for not owning a valid EPC.

It is necessary to get Commercial EPCs for so-called “conditioned” properties, meaning buildings surrounded by walls and a roof that also incorporates lights, heating facilities and so on. However, places of worship, temporary builds with under two years of planned use, and low energy consumption structures such as barns are exempt from the Commercial EPC requirement.

Commercial (NDEA): Non-Domestic, for business premises for sale or letting e.g. Newspaper shop, Pub, Restaurant, Retail shops, Industrial Units, Manufacturing (Factory) or office premises. iSBEM modeling is used to issue an epc certificate. If your business is leased through a real estate agent, you are required to obtain the assessment report.

Exemption – There are some exemptions, however, to be exempt certain conditions and criteria need to met, avoidance is not advisable, a penalty (fine) may be imposed for non-compliance. Enforcement is carried out by Trading Standards Officers from your local authority.

Domestic EPC in Stoke-on-Trent

Domestic (DEA): House and Home sales as part of a house sale or letting, you will need an EPC Certificate as part of a house sale or rental, for example, when you sell your house through an estate agent, or property solicitor. For rented property – which is to be let, you will also require an EPC Certificate.

Air Conditioning (ACSEA): Air Conditioning Systems assessor (HVAC), specialists, surveyors and consultants for A/C systems for commercial property.

BREEAM: Part L Building regulations specialist assessors who are licensed, they are known as Code for Sustainable Homes Assessors or BREEAM assessors. BREEAM (BRE Environmental Assessment Method)for eco-homes.

SBEM: Simplified Building Energy Model – An SBEM calculation is required for the issue of a recommendation report as part of a non-domestic property survey. SBEM is the methodology used to calculate the rating.

Commercial (NDEA): Non-Domestic, for business premises for sale or letting e.g. Newspaper shop, Pub, Restaurant, Retail shops, Industrial Units, Manufacturing (Factory) or office premises. iSBEM modeling is used to issue an epc certificate. If your business is leased through a real estate agent, you are required to obtain the assessment report.

DEC (Display Energy Certificate): An assessor qualified and accredited to survey public (local authority) sector buildings under UK Government ownership or control.

Building Services Engineers – Guidance for compliance issues and more about Acoustic Sound Tests, Air Conditioning Reports, Air Tightness and Pressure Testing for properties, asbestos removal, asbestos disposal: refer to relevant links on this site.

Need a Quote?

Contact us for a no-obligation quote.

Your EPC can only be produced by accredited trained energy assessors (or home inspectors). The inspection surveyors are licensed Domestic Assessors that have been fully trained and are certified as part of an accreditation scheme. In addition for commercial EPC’s we welcome enquiries so please use our contact form for a fast, free quote for SAP, PEA, code assessors, and non-domestic property’s. Quality assured: our assessment team are certified by RICS (Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors).

For Energy Environmental Consultant Surveyors and CIBSE Low Carbon Inspectors and HVAC Air Conditioning Systems Energy Assessors contact us for a hassle free service. Our services also include Air Tightness Testing .

EPC Provider Energy Performance Certificate Stoke-on-Trent

Energy Performance Certificates in Stoke-on-Trent supplier for home domestic, residential and commercial business property surveys, advice and guidance.

For an EPC we specialise in providing energy performance certificates for all commercial property and home residential properties as part of a home inspection. We offer affordable prices. Even if you are not selling your business or home an energy assessment can improve your property efficiency rating and you may be able to obtain a grant to assist in home improvements or investment funds and grants through a government scheme. Energy saving measures based on recommendations to help homeowners and business companies to implement savings. Our register of listings for company environmental consultants, low carbon surveyors and inspection professionals that provide advice about reducing your carbon footprint (CO2 emissions) and lower energy consumption for your premises.

We recommend that you act now. All properties, which includes domestic residential and commercial premises must obtain an Energy Performance Certificate by law. Find an independent company for your needs and pay a competitive price for your home residential, On-Construction New Build, Landlords Rental Property EPC.

On this site learn more on how to obtain a report and learn how to gain efficiency improvement for your household or business premises performance rating.

Business Owners Note: Legislation and Regulations regarding air conditioning services as part of the EU EPBD Buildings directive including when and what current systems require inspections for properties, and assessment commencing January 2011 refer to “Air Conditioning Systems” at the foot of this page.

Air Conditioning certification and the current law regarding EPBD UK regulations.

Additional information is available covering F Gas inspection, good practice guide, maintenance and repairs of air-conditioning equipment, fine and penalty for non-compliance, and what to expect in the recommendations report, also funding, grants and loans for improvement. Learn more about the best ways to make your air conditioning system more efficient and improvements to your asset rating.

Display Energy Certificates – which buildings have them

DECs are a way of showing the energy efficiency of a building. The DEC must be displayed clearly in buildings occupied by public authorities and institutions that provide services to the public, have a floor area of over 1,000 metres squared and are frequently visited by the public. It must be updated every year.

Public authorities include central and local government, schools, courts and prisons. Institutions that provide services to the public include organisations that provide services paid for by the taxpayer.

What the DEC looks like and contains

A DEC contains three main charts – the operational rating, carbon dioxide emissions and previous operational ratings from the last three years. Follow the link below to see an example of a DEC from the Communities and Local Government website.

• Example of a Display Energy Certificate (PDF, 247K)Opens new window

Operational rating

The operational rating is a measurement of the energy efficiency of the building, on a scale from ‘A’ to ‘G’. ‘A’ is the most efficient and ‘G’ is the least efficient.

The certificate also shows the operational ratings for the last three years. You can use these ratings to check whether the energy efficiency has improved or not.

Advisory report

An advisory report is always produced alongside the DEC and must be kept by whoever is responsible for looking after the building. This report includes recommendations on what the organisation can do to improve the building’s energy efficiency. It is valid for seven years.

The report also includes figures for actual energy use taken from the building’s meter readings, and carbon dioxide emissions measured in tonnes per year.

What happens if a DEC isn’t displayed

If you think a DEC should be displayed, contact the person in charge of looking after the building. If this fails, you can contact the local trading standards office.

Organisations can be fined £500 for not having a DEC on display in a prominent place that is clearly visible to the public. A fine of up to £1,000 can be given for not having a valid advisory report.

What is a dwelling?

An EPC is required whenever a dwelling is being rented out. “Dwelling” is a residential property which is self contained.  For these purposes a dwelling is self contained if it does not share essential facilities with another unit such as bathroom/shower room, toilet or kitchen.  It has to have its own entrance either direct from the outside or from the common parts (such as hall stairs or landings).  It is not self contained if access is via another unit. For more information about this see the section below “For what types of property is an EPC required”?

Who provides EPCs?

An EPC must be prepared by a registered assessor.   There are a considerable number of firms who produce EPCs.  Costs vary.

How long does an EPC last?

Once issued the EPC is valid for 10 years.  It can be used time and time again during this period. You do not have to have a new EPC even if you have work carried out to the property.   You can of course obtain a new one after work has been done.  If you do obtain a new EPC you can only use the latest version; not an earlier one.

If the landlord already has an EPC for the property, e.g. because they have just bought it and the EPC was part of the Home Information Pack, this EPC can be used for subsequent rentals.  Likewise, the EPC provided when a newly constructed property was purchased can be used when renting the property out.

If the dwelling is converted so it contains more or fewer separate dwellings new EPCs will be required when each is rented out.

What does an EPC do?

An EPC shows two things.  It shows the energy efficiency (i.e. the running costs for the property) and it shows the environmental impact of the property (i.e. carbon dioxide emissions).  Each of these is rated A to G with A being the most energy efficient.  The A to G Scale is similar to that which is attached to refrigerators.  The average rating is likely to be D or E.

So far as energy efficiency/running costs are concerned there is a standardised way in which these are calculated based on the standard consumption of energy and also it is based on the cost of energy at the time the certificate is issued.   It is important to remember this when comparing EPCs for different properties prepared at different dates.

Accompanying the EPC will be a recommendations report with suggested works to be carried out.  A landlord is not obliged to carry out any of these works.

What must the landlord do before letting a dwelling?

The landlord must:

• Commission and obtain an EPC from a registered assessor
• Make a copy of the EPC available to any prospective tenant free of charge
• Give the tenant a copy of the EPC before he/she signs the tenancy agreement (again free of charge).  This applies even if they have already seen it
• Prospective tenant/tenants must be shown/given a complete copy of the EPC including the recommendation report

When must an EPC be provided?

A copy of the EPC must be made available to the prospective tenants at the earliest opportunity.  This means that they must be given the opportunity of looking at the certificate and reading it through.

As a minimum a copy of an EPC must be made available in this way to a prospective tenant:

• When somebody requests information about the property
• When someone makes arrangements to view the property
• When someone makes an offer to rent the property

At this stage you do not need to hand over a copy but you can if you wish.  Make available means that the EPC must be made available for the prospective tenant to look at it.

In any event a copy of the EPC must be made available to the tenant before the rental contract is entered into.
Additionally, the tenant must actually be given a copy of the EPC before the tenancy agreement is signed up.

How do you hand over the EPC?

An EPC can be sent electronically provided the tenant/prospective tenant agrees.  You should keep a record of handing over an EPC, whether this is done manually or electronically.  If done manually you should obtain written receipts.  Only a copy need be provided; not the original.

Please note that when there is an obligation either to make a copy of the EPC available or to hand over a copy of the EPC, it must be accompanied by the full recommendation report.

What about property particulars?

Where written particulars for the property are prepared by a landlord or agent these must include either a copy EPC (with the recommendation report) or at least the asset ratings shown on the EPC.

Who is responsible for an EPC?

The legal responsibility rests with the landlord but the landlord can arrange with the letting/managing agent to carry out these responsibilities.  However, responsibility for compliance would still remain with the landlord.

What about emergencies?

There is a special rule for emergency accommodation but an EPC still has to be provided eventually.  This applies where a tenant needs an urgent relocation if there is no valid EPC available and there is insufficient time to commission one.  The requirement is still to provide an EPC as soon as is possible.

What about tenancy renewals?

An EPC is not required for the renewal of a tenancy with the same tenant.  However, if there is a change in the tenants when the tenancy is renewed e.g. because one tenant moves out and is replaced by another.  A copy of the EPC should be provided to the new tenant before they sign up.

When is an EPC not needed?

EPCs are not required if, instead of letting a property out, you grant a licence.  For example if you have a lodger who occupies under a licence arrangement then no EPC would be required.  Legally, it is quite difficult to validly create a licence so this provision should not be relied upon, other than in cases where there is genuinely a licence in existence with the occupier, rather than a tenancy agreement.

An EPC is not needed currently  for  a non self contained property such as a bedsit – see further under the next section., nor  short term holiday accommodation, but may be extended to cover these as a result of recent Government proposals.

The requirement to make a copy of the EPC available to a prospective tenant does not apply where a landlord has reasonable ground to believe that a prospective tenant is:-

• Unlikely to have sufficient financial means to rent the dwelling
• Not genuinely interested in renting the dwelling of that particular type

It is important to note that none of these exemption provisions authorises the landlord to do something which is unlawful discrimination.

For what types of property is an EPC required?

The rule is that an EPC is required for individual dwellings which, for these purposes, mean a self contained unit with its own kitchen toilet and bathroom behind its own front door.   An EPC is only required on a rental of a building or part of a building designed or altered to be used separately.

An EPC is not required for non self contained accommodation such as bedsits.  Renting out individual rooms in a building with shared facilities (e.g. the kitchen toilet or bathroom does not require an EPC).

WARNING – This is the interpretation put on matters by Government lawyers.  It may change.  It could be open to challenge.

An EPC is required as follows:-

• Individual house/dwelling (i.e. a self contained property with its own kitchen/bathroom facilities) – one EPC for the dwelling.
• Self contained flats (i.e. each behind its own front door with its own kitchen/bathroom facilities) – one EPC per flat.
• Bedsits (where there is a shared kitchen and/or bathroom) – no EPC is required.
• Shared flats/houses (e.g. a letting of a whole flat or house to students/young professionals etc) – one EPC for the whole house.
• Mixed self contained and non self contained accommodation – one EPC for each self contained flat/unit but no EPC for the remainder of the property.
• A room in a hall of residence or hostel – no EPC is required.
• Individual room in a flat or house (e.g. where a tenant rents a room so he/she has exclusive use of his/her bedroom and shared use of the kitchen toilet and bathroom) – no EPC.

What is likely to be the impact of an EPC on the tenant?

The Certificate gives the running cost/estimated costs based on standardised consumption and average fuel prices current with the EPC was produced.  Therefore, if tenants are comparing one EPC for one property with another you need to be aware of this, particularly when the EPCs are produced at different times.

Some of the items in the EPC will clearly be under the tenants control e.g. amount of fuel consumed and others the landlord could change.  The recommendation report will set out lower cost measures (up to £500) and higher cost measures, measures above this figure.

One of the sections which is of particular interest to tenants is the section on cost effective measures and the potential impact on their fuel bills.

In 2008 extensive research by the Energy Efficiency Partnership for Homes found that once the purpose and benefits of reading the EPCs were explained to potential tenants that 88% would find EPCs useful when choosing a rental property and  that 26% would use it as the principal grounds for making an initial choice.  It was also found that 11% of tenants had moved from rental accommodation due to the high cost of heating the premises

When asked what are the main reasons to choose a property, potential tenants gave the following reasons with 5 of the 8 top reasons related to the energy efficiency of the property

Further research carried out by EEPH in 2009, six months after the requirement for EPCs came into force, found that ovrerall awareness amongst tenants was poor, but 23% of tenants who had moved after EPCs were introduced had read them and  asked their landlord to carry out measures to improve the energy efficiency.   Although landlords are not obliged to carry out any works, it may be worth considering carrying out the low cost measures to help improve the lettability of the property.

How do you get an EPC?

An EPC must be obtained from an accredited provider.  There is nothing to stop landlords undertaking the necessary training.  The EPC will be given to the landlord.  It will also be recorded on a central register.

How are EPCs enforced?

Local Authority Trading Standards is the enforcement authority.  There are fixed penalties for failing to provide an EPC/make one available when required.  The fixed penalty for dwellings is £200 per dwelling.  There is a six month time limit for any enforcement action to be taken.  There is a right for the landlord to request that penalty notices are reviewed and ultimately there is a right of appeal to the County Court against a penalty notice.  Trading Standards have statutory powers to require production of an EPC from landlords if they suspect an offence has been committed.  Investigation might follow if a tenant complains that he has not been given an EPC.  An EPC will still have to be provided even though a penalty is imposed.

What about getting into the property to have an EPC prepared?

Under the EPC regulations there is an obligation on occupants to co-operate to allow access.  Tenancy Agreements may also allow for access.  Obviously, prior notification needs to be given to tenants if an energy assessor is going to visit the property.

What happens if a property is sub-let?

If a property is sub-let then responsibility will lie with the landlord under the sub-tenancy (i.e. the tenant) to provide an EPC.  The landlord is not in breach of the regulations if his tenant creates a sub-tenancy but fails to provide an EPC.  However, in this situation, the tenant is entitled to use any EPC which he receives from his landlord to pass onto the sub-tenant.

As from 1st October 2008 where a dwelling is being let an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) will be required.
An EPC is required as follows:-

• Individual house/dwelling (i.e. a self contained property with its own kitchen/bathroom facilities) – one EPC for the dwelling.
• Self contained flats (i.e. each behind its own front door with its own kitchen/bathroom facilities) – one EPC per flat.
• Bedsits or room lets where there is a shared kitchen, toilet and/or bathroom) – no EPC is required currently.
• Shared flats/houses (e.g. a letting of a whole flat or house to students/young professionals etc) - one EPC for the whole house.
• Mixed self contained and non self contained accommodation – one EPC for each self contained flat/unit but no EPC for the remainder of the property.
• A room in a hall of residence or hostel – no EPC is required currently.

The requirement to make a copy of the EPC available to a prospective tenant does not apply where a landlord has reasonable ground to believe that a prospective tenant is:-

• Unlikely to have sufficient financial means to rent the dwelling
• Not genuinely interested in renting the dwelling of that particular type
• Not a person to whom the landlord would be likely to be prepared to rent out the property

Although no EPC is currently required for bedsits, holiday lets or hostels, the Government has consulted on their proposal of  extending  them to these type of lets.

There are fixed penalties for failing to provide an EPC/make one available when required.  The fixed penalty for dwellings is £200 per dwelling.  There is a six month time limit for any enforcement action to be taken.

Contact Monument Info Search Ltd if you wish to order your Energy Performance Certificates.