About Energy Performance Certificates
Energy Rating of Properties
Homes are energy rated into one of seven bands from A to G, where A is high
efficiency and G is low efficiency. This is a similar system to the energy
rating of domestic electrical goods and new motor vehicles. An energy rating is
calculated by entering data from a survey (property dimensions, wall
construction, boiler type, loft insulation etc.) into a computer program which
generates an output rating on a scale from 1 to 100 (1 being a low rating and
100 being a high rating). This energy rating is linked to the cost of heating,
lighting and hot water per square metre of the property. The current average
rating for a property in England and Wales falls within bands D - E. New build
homes built to current building standards are likely to achieve a high C or low
B rating.
Two charts will be displayed in the Energy Performance Certificate. The first is
an Energy Efficiency Rating and the second is an Environmental Impact Rating
(based on CO2 emissions). There are small variations in the layout of these
charts in England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.
Extent of Survey
The survey is non-intrusive and evidence-based only. An Energy Assessor who
conducts the survey will only record what can be visually inspected. Areas that
are inaccessible (e.g. under the floor or within a flat roof) will be assumed to
have levels of insulation commensurate with the age and type of build. If
insulation has been added at a later date, then documentary evidence (e.g.
builder’s receipts or photographs) will be required. An Energy Assessor is not
permitted to accept the word of a homeowner alone as evidence. The energy survey
is not a structural survey and does not convey any information about the
structural integrity or condition of the building. All heating, lighting and
plumbing systems found within the building will be assumed to be working
correctly.
Access to Loft Space
An Energy Assessor should have access to loft
spaces in order to measure the insulation. If the loft hatch is locked,
difficult to open or has unsafe access, the Energy Assessor will not inspect
this area. In circumstances such as these the software will default to the level
of insulation which would have been installed at the time of build.
Heating
Costs
As well as producing an energy rating for the property, the EPC will give
predicted annual heating, lighting and hot water costs. These are based on a
standardised occupancy (according to floor area) and a standardised heating
pattern. This assumes the heating will come on from 7 am to 9 am in the morning
and 5 pm to 11 pm in the evening (Monday to Friday). At the weekend it is
assumed the property is heated for 16 hours per day. The default temperatures
are 21 °C for the main living room and 18 °C for the rest of the dwelling. This
enables heating costs to be compared on a like-for-like basis and not on the
actual use of the heating system by a homeowner. For example, there may be two
identical dwellings, one of which is occupied by a single person who heats only
one room for a few hours of the day, and the other is home to a large family
heating the whole house for most of the day. Both will obtain the same scores on
the A to G scale.
The heating costs displayed are very sensitive to the type of
fuel used by the heating system. Some fuels are much more expensive than others
and are likely to result in a lower energy rating for the property.
Summary of
the Home’s Energy Performance Related Features
The EPC will contain a table
giving a description of the energy efficiency and environmental performance of
the walls, floor, roof, windows, main heating and main heating controls, hot
water and lighting. These descriptors are based on the data input and are
defaulted by the software (the Energy Assessor does not write these). For
example, if the heating controls in a property comprise of a programmer only,
the default descriptor would be ‘Very Poor’. Most modern homes would have a
programmer, room thermostat and thermostatic radiator valves, for which the
descriptor would be ‘Average’. A boiler energy manager or full zone control
(where the temperature in different parts of the property can be controlled at
different times) would be described as ‘Good’.
Complaints
If you are unhappy
with any aspect of the survey you should, in the first instance, contact the
Energy Assessor who carried out the work. His/her details are given in the EPC.
If this fails to resolve the matter you may telephone or write to Elmhurst
Energy. Elmhurst Energy are accredited by Communities and Local Government
(England and Wales) and the Department of Finance and Personnel (Northern
Ireland). Elmhurst Energy have also signed a protocol with Scottish Building
Standards to deliver services in relation to Energy Performance Certificates.
Elmhurst Energy are responsible for ensuring that Energy Performance
Certificates are accurate and consistent. Their address is as follows:
Elmhurst
Energy Systems Ltd
16 St John’s Business Park
Lutterworth
LE17 4HB
Telephone 01455 883 257