On Construction

An Energy Performance Certificate is needed when a building is built.

The certificate is being introduced in stages. Since April 2008 buildings with a total floor area of more than 10,000sq m required one. From 1 July 2008 this will be extended to buildings with a total floor area greater than 2,500 sq m. From 1 October 2008 all buildings will require one.

Energy Performances Certificates tell owners and potential buyers and tenants about the energy efficiency of a building and how it can be improved. They come with a recommendation report which includes advice and suggestions on improvements you could make to save money and energy. The certificate also shows the rating that could be achieved if all the recommendations are followed. In the case of new buildings the recommendation report will be shorter as most money-saving improvements will have already been included in the design.

It is the responsibility of the builder to provide an EPC. This will also apply if a building is converted into fewer or more units and changes are made to the heating, hot water provision or air conditioning/ventilation services.

When the building is physically complete, the builder must obtain an EPC for the building, provide the EPC to the new owner and notify the local authority building control officers or approved inspectors that this has been done.  This must be done no later than the time specified by the building regulations. Building regulations include standards for the energy performance of new buildings which builders must adhere to in order to comply with building regulations.

Once building control are satisfied the EPC has been properly produced and provided to the relevant party, they are able to issue a final completion certificate. The only person who is able to produce an Energy Performance Certificate is an accredited energy assessor.

If you are selling a building before it has been built, you will need to provide information about energy efficiency in a Predicted Energy Assessment (PEA). This is simply the predicted SAP and Environmental Impact (CO2) rating from the SAP calculations you do at the design stage to check whether you will meet energy-saving targets. You can use a spreadsheet template to create the graphics from the SAP rating.  There is no need for PEAs to be produced by an accredited assessor and they do need to have a recommendation report.

Courtesy of http://www.communities.gov.uk/