Commercial Energy Assessors

Commercial Energy Assessment & Energy Ratings Calculations for Commercial Buildings and Industrial Property for the provision of Energy Performance Certificates (EPC) is required as part of the EU EPBD Directive for Buildings. Energy Ratings are derived using the following methods:

SAP - Standard Assessment Procedure
SBEM - Simulated Building Energy Model
DSM - Dynamic Simulation Model

Commercial Energy Assessors are classified as non-domestic energy assessors (NDEA). In context, this means that a domestic energy assessor is not qualified to conduct surveys relating to commercial property.

Energy Performance Certificates provided by Energy Assessment specialists dealing in Energy efficiency, Energy Ratings & Co2 emissions of buildings and inspection by an Energy Assessor, utilising SAP or SBEM, DSM assessment procedures will commence from 6 April 2008.

Inspection - Energy Assessors for commercial buildings will be required to inspect air conditioning systems , where they exist, and provide advisory reports for air conditioning equipment energy efficiency. These reports offer recommendations to improve the efficiency or existing air conditioning units, the advice offered in the report is considered "advisory" rather than mandatory. it may be considered prudent to undertake advisory measures to improve efficiency of energy usage and reduce CO2 emissions, potential commercial property lease vendors may find value in leasing buildings with an improved energy efficiency rating, as costs will be lower than those buildings with higher operating energy costs.

Where can I Find An Assessor?

A regional area directory of inspectors is available for finding Commercial Energy Assessors, the register includes both SAP Assessors and SBEM Assessors. For inspectors of Air Conditioning plant and equipment a listing is available for Air Conditioning Inspection. If you wish to find out more about Commercial Buildings Energy Assessment or wish to raise questions regarding specific cases please post a message at Commercial EPC Forum

The type of energy assessor required to carry out an energy inspection should be selected using the following criteria:

New Build Housing. (SAP Energy Ratings)
Social Housing (including some HMO's - Housing in multiple occupation). RdSAP or SAP
New Build Commercial Buildings. (SBEM or DSM)
Existing Commercial Buildings. (SBEM or DSM)
Existing Industrial Buildings & Premises. (SBEM or DSM)
New Build Commercial Units & Property. (SBEM or DSM)
Public Buildings, both new and existing. (SBEM or DSM)

Buildings in the Public Sector
Buildings in the public sector will be required to display Display Energy Certificates (DEC) for all public buildings with floor area >10,000 m2 from April 2008. A Display Energy Certificate shows the energy performance of a building based on actual energy consumption as recorded annually over periods up to the last three years. DECs need to be updated each year.

Cost of Inspection

It is difficult to predict costs for production of an EPC in this field, commercial and industrial property construction and complexity vary, hence a fixed price cannot be determined.

Buildings in the Private Sector
Private & Social Housing Landlords, Rented Property, Rental Property for Landlord and Tenants, Retail Units, Shops, Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMO's), Industrial Units, New Build Commercial units, Hotels will require energy assessment under the EPBD Directive. Buy-to-let private investor properties will mostly be covered by EPC's issued by a Domestic Energy Assessor.
New Build Homes will be assessed using SAP energy assessment methods. New Houses can be assessed using Standard Assessment Procedure (SAP) by inspection of building plans and the materials used in the construction prior to being built. Property Developers can provide this information to a SAP Assessor.