The EU Directive: EPCs in Non-dwellings

The European Performance of Buildings Directive became European Law on 4 January 2003 and requires that all Member States produce Energy Performance Certificates and Display Energy Certificates for all buildings, including non-dwellings.

Please see below for the latest information as we understand it.

Commercial or Non-domestic?

By 'commercial' we mean any building that is not a dwelling. The current terminology that CLG use to describe this type of building is 'non-dwellings' or 'non-domestic'.

An Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) must be provided each time a building is constructed, sold or rented out. The EPC identifies the building’s Asset Rating - its intrinsic or 'built-in' energy efficiency standard - and is valid for up to 10 years. Newly constructed buildings will also require an EPC on completion, but they will have been assessed at the design stage using the same procedure as part of Building Regulations approval.

National Calculation Methodology EPCs are now required for all non-dwellings, from small high street shops and offices to large-scale commercial premises. To produce EPCs for non-dwellings, the assessment method must comply with the National Calculation Methodology (NCM) set by CLG. This will usually utilise the Simplified Building Energy Model (SBEM) accompanied by user interface, such as our SBEM online software.

To date there is no 'reduced data' version of SBEM as there is for SAP, used to produce EPCs in dwellings. For large or complicated buildings, various Dynamic Simulation Models (DSM) will be approved as being compliant with the approved methodology by CLG. CLG’s website includes a notice of approval of software, together with a list of approved software here.

For further detail on the National Calculation Methodology, see here.

Once produced, the EPC shows the Asset Rating for the building – a theoretical value for how much energy/CO2 the building will consume/emit when compared to a 'standard' or 'notional' building of the same type. EPCs are also accompanied by an appropriate recommendations report.

Display Energy Certificates (DECs) Public buildings over 1,000 sqm and occupied or part-occupied by public authorities (or by institutions or organisations providing public services) now require a Display Energy Certificate (DEC).

This shows the Operational Rating, relating to the actual energy consumption of the building over a three year period. It also includes a reference value (a current legal standard or benchmark) to which it can be compared – and is a measure of how well the building is being used in practice.

DECs must be displayed in a prominent position within the building and updated annually. An advisory report will also be required, but only once every 7 years.

Central Register Both EPCs and DECs need to be 'lodged', i.e. stored on a central register along with the data that was entered into the software in order to produce the certificate.

To find out more about qualifying as a Commercial Energy Assessor, see here.

The Timescales for the introduction of Energy Certificates in England and Wales were as follows:

• April 2008 – EPCs were required on construction, sale or rental of commercial buildings with a floor area >10,000sqm
• July 2008 – As April 2008 but extended to commercial buildings with a floor area >2,500sqm
• October 2008 – As April 2008 but extended to include all sizes of commercial buildings. Also, DECs were required for public buildings >1,000sqm and on display.

For Northern Ireland the timetable for non-dwellings were:

• newbuild - 30 September 2008
• sales - 30 December 2008
• rentals - 30 December 2008

For Scotland the timetable for both dwellings and non-dwellings:

• newbuild - May 2007
• sales - 2008
• rentals - January 2009

A model EPC for non-dwellings in Scotland can be seen here.

For more information about the implementation of the EU Directive in non-dwellings, please contact us on 01908 442111.