Legal Matters An introduction to the legal requirements in the United Kingdom to measure and report energy efficiency of buildings Updated 12 July, 2007
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Assessments

By January 2009 there is an European Community requirement that all buildings should have Energy Performance Certificates (EPCs). The results will be summarised into 7 grades - from A (best) to G.

Public buildings of above 1000 sq. metres will be required to display their EPCs.

The generation of EPCs will depend on Assessors who will have been accredited by a method yet to be established. The government estimates that about 6000 Assessors will be required. Others suggest that 9000 is a better estimate. Most assessors will typically be the surveyors who currently inspect properties. However they have to take additional training for this new role. It is estimated that the energy assessment of a house during a survey will take an additional 30-60 minutes.

The Standard Assessment Procedure(SAP) is the Government's recommended system for energy rating of dwellings. The Standard Assessment Procedure 2005 defines:

• a SAP rating, on a scale from 0 to 100, based on the annual energy costs for space and water heating. At a rating of 100 the building requires no external energy. Ratings are then converted to the seven grades A to G.
• The dwelling CO₂ Emission Rate (DER), based on the annual emissions associated with space and water heating.

The SAP rating can only be calculated precisely on new construction where full details are available of the construction and the materials used. For existing buildings a Reduced SAP (RDSAP) rating is defined, for which assumptions can be made on features where accurate data is hard to obtain.

Changes introduced in 2005 to this measure included:

• Energy for lighting is included.
• Solar water heating is revised.
• Cylinder loss is revised, manufacturer's data for heat loss becomes the preferred source of cylinder loss.
• The effect of thermal bridging is taken into the account.
• It incorporates additional renewable and energy saving technologies.
• It provides method for estimating tendency to high internal temperature in summer.
• Data tables are updated (e.g. fuel costs, CO₂ emissions, boiler efficiency and heating ,controls, etc).
• The measure of energy is now kWh rather than GJ.

Building Regulations

Applications for new developments must now include a calculated Standard Assessment Procedure report for the development.

Building Regulations are being used to increase the energy efficiency of new construction. The change in part L of the building regulations in 2002 required an increase in energy efficiency of 20%. The version of building regulations part L introduced in April 2006 require another 20% improvement in energy efficiency. This process is likely to continue as the government seeks to make all new housing from 2016 carbon neutral.

On Sale or Let

The Housing Act 2004 aimed to introduce a new method of house sale in England and Wales, intended to make the process quicker and cheaper. This requires the creation of a Home Information Pack as part of the home purchase process. This Home Information Pack will include a Home Condition Report that will contain an energy efficiency assessment - an Energy Performance Certificate, or "Energy Report". The intention is to make energy performance a factor in the valuation of housing. In the summer of 2007 this requirement was limited for the time being to larger houses.

An Energy Performance Certificate should also be supplied when a property is offered for let and when a lease is renewed. This requirement arises from an EU directive agreed in January 2003. It does not yet seem to be incorporated in English law.

References

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