Energy Performance Certificates

These are a compulsory part of the Home information Pack

The Energy Performance Rating is made on the basis of a visual inspection only. It will not be necessary to clear cupboards, remove furniture or roll back carpets but it will be necessary to view meters and enter any loft space. The report will reflect the visible condition of the property on the day it is inspected. Photography will form a part of the inspection process.

Energy ratings were originally designed to be a measure of the fuel cost of a property. The aim is to provide a figure similar to the miles-per-gallon figure used to indicate the energy performance of a car.

When looking at the ratings, the higher the number – the better the performance, which should mean lower fuel bills.

The ratings and improvements suggested in energy advice reports help to prioritise the different ways of saving energy.

Some improvements make obvious economic sense, and others are really only realistic considerations when a particular item requires replacing.

Because houses and flats can vary widely in size, an allowance is made for the size of the property. So the basis of the energy rating is to try and predict the fuel cost of the property, divide this cost by the floor area, and fit the result onto a simple scale – as noted above, the higher the number, the better.

Ratings are calculated on the basis of ‘standard occupancy’. This is essential because the way that occupants use a property can increase or decrease its energy use by very large factors. The use of standard occupancy allows a level-playing field for comparison between dwellings, regardless ofhow the current occupants use it.

Energy assessment procedure and results

The key holder of the property or their representative should be present to permit the Domestic Energy Assessor access to all rooms, spaces and cupboards; provide any relevant documents and accompany them on an initial survey around the property. Part of this initial survey will be to establish any potential risks to the Home Inspector and ascertain the location of any concealed traps or hatches.

Our energy assessors have strict instructions on how to undertake the inspection and are reliant upon the RDSAP (Reduced Standard Assessment Procedure) survey system software program, which is the industry standard method of measuring the results.

As well as the building design, there are many other contributing factors involved in achieving a rating. This means that properties sitting next to each other can have exactly the same building design, but achieve very different results due to differing energy saving improvements.

This is noted on page 2 of the form on the second line of the third section ‘About the building’s performance ratings’ where it mentions ‘takes into account factors such as insulation, heating and hot water systems, ventilation and fuels used’.

As everyone’s home is not the same, the report contains an advice section listing possible areas where further energy savings can be made, along with recommendations on which are the most cost effective.

Loft insulation and hot water cylinder insulation, for example, are obvious improvements, as they are cheap to purchase, can be easy to install, and often save enough energy to produce real savings in less than a year. On the other hand, double-glazing and a replacement central heating boiler are examples of improvements that cost far more, and this means that they often won’t be replaced unless there is the need i.e. a broken boiler or rotting/leaking window frames.

The idea is to present the homeowner with enough information to help them decide on the best value for money when investing in energy efficiency.

The advice report offers an independent comparison of the options. For example, comparing installing new double-glazing (often only adding 2-4 SAP points) with a new boiler and controls (which could easily add in excess of 20 SAP points). The running costs associated with the ratings can also help the consumer to identify the best ways to target their money to reduce fuel bills.

Limitations

Because the software used to create the certificate can only work with the information given to it,there can be limitations if any information is not available. this would require the assesssment software to make assumptions. This can result in a rating lower than that given if the information is made available.

Some assumptions must be made in creating the certificate as no two properties are alike and it would be impossible to state all exact differences. The software therefore uses assumptions where slight differences would not alter the overall assessment rating.

Once complete, the certificate is lodged on the National Database and is available for viewing.

More information concerning buildings performance ratings can be found on page 3 of the certificate.

More information concerning Energy efficiency and the National Register can be found on the Government Website at www.communities.gov.uk

*Poolehips.com is a trading name of Kreo Limited