It’s alright, even recommended, to ask others what their thoughts are when selecting Qualified Domestic Energy Assessors. This is especially true the more challenging or crucial the decision you have to make and its effect on your company.

If a Commercial building is modified to have more or fewer parts than it originally had and the modification includes the provision or extension of fixed services for heating, air conditioning or mechanical ventilation (i.e. those services that condition the indoor climate for the benefits of the occupants) then an EPC will be required. When the modifications are physically complete, it is the responsibility of the person carrying out the modification works to give an EPC and recommendation report to the building owner and to notify building control that this has been done. Building control will not issue a certificate of completion until they are satisfied this has been done. There’s no ‘pass’ and ‘fail’ system for EPCs – only the grading of your property’s energy efficiency from A-G. However, if you’re renting out your property, it must have an EPC rating of at least E to be legally let. If you are selling, renting or commissioning a new building you must have an EPC undertaken because if you don’t the penalties could be severe. Enforcement agencies have the power to investigate and request a copy of the EPC and the accompanying recommendations report. The responsible person has 7 days to produce this documentation upon request. EPC stands for ‘Energy Performance Certificate’. An Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) shows how energy efficient, and environmentally friendly a property is. These certificates are a requirement if you decide to put your home up for sale, or if you want to rent your property out. For anyone selling or letting out a commercial property, you will need to book an inspection for an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) before putting the property on the market. These assessments look at how energy efficient the premises are and make recommendations on how this could be improved. An EPC tells you how energy efficient your property is, just like the multi-coloured stickers you see on new domestic appliances tell you how energy efficient the appliance is. The ratings vary from "G", the most inefficient rating indicated with a red colour, and all the way up to "A", meaning very efficient and shown as dark green.



For a landlord or a tenant to meet the qualifications of the golden Rule they must make the necessary changes in order to obtain an EPC rating of E or above. All improvements that are made to the property should be cost-effective and signed by an independent energy assessor. With regard to commercial properties, all investments for energy improvements must be cost-effective within a seven-year period. Please note that this needs very good research as not all assessors meet the same criteria. It's really important to take your time and learn more about the EPC. With a few exceptions, a valid EPC is a legal requirement for a new building or when a building is sold or rented on a new lease to a new tenant. As soon as you know you are going to be selling or renting a property you should commission an EPC and it should be available for prospective buyers or tenants to view. As well as getting a fine of up to £5,000, not having an EPC could result in the expensive delay of a sale or rental. On the journey to create a more sustainable property it is also important to consider what is in it as well as the structure. The fixtures you install will have a big impact on energy usage and manufactures have now developed more environmentally friendly white goods, with the potential to reduce both the carbon footprint and the electricity bills. The energy performance of a building is shown as a Carbon Dioxide (CO2) based index. The better the rating, the more energy efficient the building is, and the lower the fuel bills are likely to be. A team of Energy Assessors and Chartered Surveyors are uniquely placed to give advice on epc commercial property and provide a complete energy consultancy service.

The Standard Assessment Procedure

If you’re a landlord renting out your property or you’re selling your home, you need to have the EPC available as soon as you can. Even if you’re only renting out individual rooms, you’ll still need a certificate for the whole property. An EPC assessment is the same process regardless of the person providing the assessment, so don’t be duped into paying more than you need to and shop around for the cheapest deal. Once you’ve booked an energy assessor to come to your property and issue an EPC, the assessment itself will only take between 45 minutes and an hour in most cases. Are you looking for ways to save energy in your commercial property? Well, the new minimum energy efficiency standards (MEES) may just be the answer you're looking for. Introduced by the Indian government in order to mitigate climate change and protect the environment, MEES are a new legal standard for minimum energy efficiency in domestic properties. If you're a landlord, investor, developer or lender, now is the time to learn about this new standard and make sure your property meets it. What is not so well known is that an EPC can be of considerable worth outside of regulatory requirements, and can offer valuable guidance on where improvements can be made both on emissions and on costs. Many farm buildings are exempt from the requirement to obtain an EPC. Most buildings which are sold or rented out will require an EPC. The intention is that an EPC is not required for buildings which do not use fuel or power for controlling the temperature of the internal environment (for instance a cattle shed). You may be asking yourself how does a non domestic epc register fit into all of this?

If you are a Property Owner, Freehold Investor, Pension Funder, Landlord and for occupiers who wish to assign or sublet space, with an EPC rating of ‘F’ or ‘G’ you will need to take action and raise the energy efficiency of the property before granting a new lease. An EPC is issued and made available to the public on a national register and is valid for ten years. If you improve the energy consumption of your house with say a new boiler and new EPC should be done to reflect the improvement. An EPC gives a clear view of a property’s energy efficiency. If you’re a homebuyer you must make sure the seller has a valid and up to date EPC rating. A better rating could be attractive for a potential buyer or tenant, whereas a lower one indicates that the property could incur higher energy bills. When it comes to selling, buying, or renting a house, an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) is an essential part of the process. The certificate helps to confirm how energy-efficient the property is. During the marketing process for a building, the energy performance indicator must be included in all marketing material and the EPC made available to interested parties. Failure to comply with this may result in the building owner incurring a penalty charge. It is therefore recommended to commission an EPC at the earliest opportunity. Advising on matters such as commercial epc will provide benefits in the long run.

Who Does This Apply To?

An EPC will provide you with a list of recommendations/recommended measures for improving the property’s energy performance. The indicative cost (Scotland) or typical installation cost is based on average installation prices so may not be representative of the actual cost in your area. The Energy Performance Certificate is needed by vendors when selling a property and by Landlords when renting. All Rented properties in the UK must have a rating of ‘E’ or higher. If your property is currently being rented with an ‘F’ rating or you are worried that your property may not reach an E rating, then please do not hesitate to contact me, as I support and provide consulting to many Landlords in assisting them to apply easy cost effective improvements to their lettings properties and piece of mind that they are fully compliant as landlords. To query any information on your EPC, householders should contact the energy assessor who produced the EPC (name and contact details are provided on the EPC). It is also worth checking the issue date on the EPC, as it is more likely that an EPC issued within the last few years will be the most accurate. An EPC is only required for a dwelling that is self-contained, meaning that it does not share essential facilities such as a bathroom/shower room, wc or kitchen with any other dwelling, and that it has its own entrance, either from outside or through common parts, that is not through another unit. An EPC is usually required when a building is being constructed, sold or let. If it is being produced for a new building, it will be provided to Building Control along with the SBEM calculations and included within the Building OM manual. For those buildings being sold or let, the EPC should be available for potential purchasers / lessees as soon as marketing commences. It is common practice for a solicitor to request a copy at the transaction stage. If the EPC is needed as part of a Feed-In Tariff application, then it must be completed when the application is submitted, so that the electricity provider can verify its existence and download a copy from the EPC register. There are many options available when it comes to mees in today’s market.

Residential property rented out for the purpose of a holiday do not require an EPC. An EPC is required though when the letting period to the same person is for 12 weeks or more. The EPC assessment considers issues that directly affect the efficiency of the property. This includes insulation, the heating system and lighting. It doesn’t consider the overall quality or condition of the property. The assessment also produces recommendations on how the energy-efficiency can be improved. An EPC tells you how energy efficient your property is on a scale of A-G with A being the most efficient. The certificate also tells you on a scale of A-G about the impact the property has on the environment. The EPC will make recommendations about how a property’s energy efficiency can be improved, and will show the potential rating is these works are carried out. The average property in the UK is rated D-E. Energy efficient homes sit higher up on the Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) rating scale, typically in grades C up to A. EPCs not only tell you your home’s current energy efficiency rating but also its potential rating, giving you an improvement to work towards. Under the current MEES regime, any new or renewal lease, or lease extension, granted in respect of commercial properties in England and Wales must (subject to certain exemptions) have a valid energy performance certificate (EPC) showing an energy efficiency rating for the property of between 'A+' and 'E' (with 'A+' being the best). Ratings of 'F' and 'G' denote the property as sub-standard in energy efficiency terms. A well-thought-out strategy appertaining to mees regulations can offer leaps and bounds in improvements.

Domestic Energy Assessments

Put simply, an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) tells you how energy efficient a property is. Factors such as carbon dioxide emissions and heating costs are taken into consideration to give the property an EPC rating. An EPC is required every time a property is put up for sale or rent. As from the 1st April 2018 there will be a requirement for any properties rented out in the private rented sector to normally have a minimum energy performance rating of E on an Energy EPC. The regulations will come into force for new lets and renewals of tenancies with effect from 1st April 2018 and for all existing tenancies on 1st April 2020. It will be unlawful to rent a property which breaches the requirement for a minimum E rating, unless there is an applicable exemption. A Commercial EPC can only be produced by an accredited Non-Domestic Energy Assessor (NDEA) and is valid for ten years. Once produced, it is lodged on the Government’s National Non-Domestic EPC Register and is designed to give potential buyers and tenants some basic information about the building’s energy efficiency rating. This is so they can better understand the costs of running the building and changes or improvements they might wish to consider. You can discover additional facts regarding Qualified Domestic Energy Assessors in this UK Government Portal page.

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