Introduction of energy certificates eased

Originally, property owners needed to have an EPC if their building was over 10,000m2 and on the market to be sold on or after 6 April. This has now been changed. If the building is already on the market prior to 6 April it need not have an EPC until is it about to be sold or until 1 October at the latest.

The Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG) announced the decision to avoid what is said could be potential “confusion” over the introduction of the controversial certificates which many building services engineers will eventually be qualified to hand out.

John Field, a director of cost and carbon reduction consultancy Power Efficiency, said the news comes as no surprise to building services engineers. “The ability of owners to have all their buildings assessed in time was stretched, to put it politely.”

The government has had to face up to two main facts, said Field, one of the first CIBSE qualified assessors. There simply isn’t enough qualified engineers to assess a building and write out an EPC. Also, pilot programmes to test the essential software to analyse the building’s EPC energy ratings have only just begun.

CIBSE has said it is on target to have at least 100 approved energy assessors in place by 6 April.

EPCs and the energy consumption notices, Display Energy Certificates (for buildings occupied by public authorities) are part of the EU’s Energy Performance of Buildings directive.

The European Commission announced in late February that it is taking the UK and Belgium to court for failing to implement sufficient measures and legislation relating to the directive, originally due by 4 January, 2006.

Earlier this month Environment Secretary Hilary Benn announced that public sector bodies in England, including local authorities and hospitals, would get an extra £30m over three years in interest-free loans to help them become more energy efficient.