Commercial Energy Performance Certificates (EPC)

Commercial EPCs

After the Green Deal was initiated in the UK, both domestic and commercial properties had to make changes to their existing energy utilization technologies to make them greener. Following this, all commercial buildings in the UK (in addition to domestic buildings) under construction, or on sale or rent had to have a Non-Domestic Energy Performance Certificate (NDEPC).

The ND-EPC with a Recommendation Report

The NDEPC shows the rating of a commercial or non-domestic property in terms of energy efficiency. The ratings are allocated on a scale of A to G, with the most energy efficient properties getting an A rating.

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Besides a rating report, the NDEPC also includes a recommendation report that highlights how the building can become more energy efficient. This is very useful information for not just the current owners of the property, but also for potential buyers and tenants who can compare the energy efficiencies of different buildings before making a decision.

Necessity of EPCs for Commercial Buildings

Buildings with a floor area of more than 10,000m² are currently required to have EPCs, while this requirement will be extended to buildings with a minimum floor area of 2,500m². Therefore, almost all commercial buildings in the UK will be required to have EPCs in the coming months and years.

Information required to produce a Commercial EPC

In order to produce a commercial EPC, an assessor will need the following information about a building:

Size of the building
Insulation Levels
Heating and Air-conditioning Systems
Mechanisms for keeping the building cool
Hot Water Systems for Bathrooms and Kitchens
Building Management and Control Systems
Electricity and Lighting Systems
Presence of Onsite Energy Generation
Activities carried out in the building

The more thorough and comprehensive the information about these various aspects of a building, the better the assessment that will be carried out. In fact, having detailed and complete information also helps the assessor in generating a more practical, workable and detailed recommendation report (RR) to help improve the ratings of a building in future assessments.

Display Energy Certificates (DECs) and Advisory Reports (AR) for Commercial Buildings

Besides possessing an EPC, commercial buildings are also required to have an annual display energy certificate or DEC. This is a certificate highlighting their annual energy performance and it should be displayed prominently for the public within the commercial premises. An advisory report (AR) is also required to be issued for these buildings every 7 years. These reports should detail recommendations for improving the energy efficiency of non-domestic buildings and properties.

Non-Domestic Energy Assessors (NDEAs)

Not everyone can conduct an assessment of a commercial property. For this purpose, there are designated non-domestic energy assessors (NDEAs) whose credentials and qualification have been verified by an accrediting organization and they are registered and accredited. These certified individuals undertake energy calculations to produce a commercial EPC. They have to go through rigorous NDEA trainings offered by various organizations before they can become a part of an NDEA accrediting agency.