Loz Harper's blog : What Are 7 Helpful Justifications To Use Low Carbon Energy Assessors?

While writing posts, I am always exploring Low Carbon Energy Assessors and topics appertaining to this.

In October 2008 it became law that landlords must provide an Energy Performance Certificate for any domestic EPC property when either renewing a tenancy or starting a new one. If a property was to be advertised for sale or let, the EPC had to be provided at the point of advertising. On 1st April 2018 Minimum Energy Efficiency Standards (MEES) came in to force for landlord’s in England and Wales. An EPC certificate will provide details on the current energy efficiency of your property. This may not always be as expected and may even be concerning if the results are very low on the scale. However, you shouldn’t panic if this is the case. The rating that the assessor has given the potential energy efficiency should give a clear indicator of what you can do to increase the energy efficiency of the property. A care home will only need an Energy Performance Ticket on construction, sale or rental as whole building. (The whole building EPC would be based on SBEM, the method for assessing non-dwellings). There will normally be no requirement for each resident to obtain an Energy Performance Ticket. EPCs assess buildings by giving them a standard energy and carbon emission efficiency grade from ‘A’ to ‘G’, where ‘A’ is the best and with the average to date being D/E. Property with the best ratings are more attractive to potential tenants and buyers as they are cheaper to run. If you’re buying or renting, it’s a legal requirement for the seller or landlord to arrange for an EPC. Do make sure that you - as the buyer or tenant - see and understand the certificate. The rating can impact how much your new home will cost. And if you're renting you know what to expect from energy bills plus the EPC must not be below E. If you're buying a new build, the developer is responsible for getting the EPC. Energy efficiency includes things like building well-insulated homes and reducing the amount of energy factories use. Energy efficient practices can save money through reduced energy needs as well as improve the health of people in those buildings.



It is a legal requirement to have a valid EPC whenever a building is sold, rented or constructed. The certificate is your proof of how energy efficient your property is, as well as showing any potential savings on energy costs. Efficiency improvements in buildings often have low or no marginal cost, or provide a return on investment in the form of energy cost savings in as quickly as six months to a year. This is a significant difference from emissions-saving investments in other sectors such as agriculture or transport, which are relatively expensive or result in lower emissions reductions. The calculation for a commercial EPC is much more in-depth than that of a domestic EPC. This is because, typically, the commercial sector has more complex systems and consumes more energy. SBEM Calculations are used to generate a commercial EPC, and they take into account all of the factors mentioned above. The government wants to ensure that all new rental properties have an EPC rating of at least a C by 2025 or 2026. This is not yet law, but looks likely to become so soon, so it’s something to bear in mind when buying properties or upgrading the ones you have. Conducting viability appraisals with respect to mees regulations is useful from the outset of any project.

Property Rules Are Changing

EPCs come with a detailed recommendation report outlining potential areas that would help reduce the amount of energy you use, thus lessoning your carbon dioxide emissions. Occupiers of commercial buildings are able to identify where the most energy is being consumed and therefore where they can make changes to reduce their energy consumption. A better understanding of the emissions produced may help the UK Government reach its net-zero emissions target by 2050, as the occupiers will be able to identify where they can start to reduce their carbon emissions. EPCs to be displayed in commercial premises larger than 500m² that are frequently visited by the public, and where one has previously been produced for the sale, construction or renting out of the building. Simplified building energy model is a computer program that provides an analysis of abuilding’s energy consumption. The tool is designed to cover buildings that are not dwellings. It has been adopted by government as part of the UK national methodology for calculation of the energy performance of buildings. It is also used to produce consistent and reliable evaluations of energy use in non-domestic buildings for building regulations compliance and for building energy performance certification purposes. The Minimum Energy Efficiency Standards (MEES) were introduced as part of the Energy Efficiency (Private Rented Property) (England and Wales) Regulations 2015. Since 2018, landlords of both commercial and residential properties haven’t been able to grant new tenancies for properties with an EPC rating of F or G. This means that if you’re planning to rent out a property which has an EPC rating lower than E, you’ll have to improve its energy efficiency first or register an exemption. Maximising potential for epc commercial property isn't the same as meeting client requirements and expectations.

An EPC is valid for 10 years for residential properties. The EPC is kept with the property rather than its occupants and at any time a copy can be accessed through the Domestic Energy Performance Certificate Register (although this does require the report reference number). An EPC needs to be obtained whenever a property, including a commercial building, is built, sold or let, and is valid for 10 years from the date of issue. As we start to turn our minds to a greener future, there has never been so much pressure on home owners and business owners to run energy efficient properties, especially in the commercial arena, where businesses are encouraged to make sure they are doing everything possible to run a clean building and reduce energy wastage and harmful emissions. An Energy Performance Certificate has been required in England and Wales since September 2007 for any one selling a house. In October 2008 all properties that where on the rental market required an EPC as well. Typically its Estate Agents, Individuals selling a property, Lawyers, Landlords or Companies who work on the Green Deal that require an EPC. An EPC is only required for a habitable unit if it is self-contained. This is therefore different to the requirement for Decent Homes inspections, where units which are not self-contained must be individually assessed. Landlords should be aware of this when holding EPC and Decent Homes data in common asset management databases. A team of Energy Assessors and Chartered Surveyors are uniquely placed to give advice on non domestic epc register and provide a complete energy consultancy service.

Legal Obligations

Most modern homes have double glazing installed, but if you live in an older property, a few thousand pounds spent on new, energy efficient window units could improve your EPC rating and save you money on your bills. Energy efficiency is becoming increasingly important in the rental sector. Not only are more landlords and tenants aware of their responsibilities when it comes to the environment, but a more energy efficient property can save money for both parties. Some buildings do not require an EPC. These include, buildings under construction, places of worship, properties due for demolition, buildings having an area less than 50 m2, industrial sites and agricultural buildings, lease surrenders, etc. Incorrect EPC ratings can often be caused by errors in the way that the property was assessed. There can be all manner of issues causing EPCs to be incorrect including heating, walls and even the type of property. If you think your EPC is incorrect you can challenge the EPC rating. If you are looking to make your home more energy efficient or looking to reduce your energy bills, you could benefit from a good energy consultant. Energy consultants are trained to examine your energy usage, find the best prices and reduce energy consumption. You may be asking yourself how does a mees fit into all of this?

Before you consider putting a property on the market, letting a home out as a private landlord or re-mortgaging, the energy usage has to be pinned down according to an agreed set of parameters. By law, in order to rent a domestic property it must achieve an Energy Efficiency Rating of E or above (as of writing). This also includes holiday lets (with exceptions). Acquiring a valid EPC meeting this criteria will allow landlords to legally rent domestic accommodation. If the property in question is not quite up to scratch, then the EPC will provide recommendations, along with a potential Energy Efficiency Rating. Each EPC will also include a schedule of recommendations which could be carried out to improve the performance of the building. While there is no requirement for implementation of any of these recommendations, we advise they should at least be considered to improve the efficiency of the building concerned. Green Deal Finance is only available on items which are included within the recommendation report. Properly insulating a house can be an affordable and effective way to bring its EPC rating out of the danger zone. It also shouldn't cause too much upheaval. If you can achieve at least 270mm thick insulation in the loft space, you will significantly reduce the amount of heat lost through the roof. 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. There are many options available when it comes to commercial epc in today’s market.

Get An Energy Performance Certificate

An EPC is only required for a dwelling that is self contained, meaning that it does not have an entrance via a separate unit or share any essential facilities (bathroom, kitchen etc). Landlords are not required to produce an EPC when an existing lease is renewed, only when the tenant changes. An Energy Performance Certificate, or EPC, is required whenever a property is built, sold or rented, and must be obtained before a property can be marketed for sale or rent. It gives a property an energy efficiency rating from A (most efficient) to G (least efficient) and is valid for 10 years. There are several reasons to improve your EPC rating, from cutting down on the everyday running costs of your home, to achieving a higher sale price when you come to sell it. The EPC will show the energy efficiency rating on an A–G rating scale and it will also include recommendations on how to improve energy efficiency. Make sure you check out how the law is changing on this for buy-to-let landlords under government proposals. One can unearth supplementary intel about Low Carbon Energy Assessors in this UK Government Publications page.

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