Energy Performance Certificates (EPCS) & Display Energy Certificates (DECS)

Commercial Energy Performance Certificates (EPCs)

Example of an Energy Performance Certificate

Regional Buildings Assessments can help you comply with the new Energy Performance of Buildings Regulations. These introduce the requirement for non-domestic commercial buildings to have a Commercial Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) on construction, sale or rent from 06 April 2008.

Some building modifications which result in the addition or removal of building parts, and the extension or introduction of Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning (HVAC) services will also require an EPC.

What is a Commercial Energy Performance Certificate?

A Commercial EPC conveys summary information about the potential energy performance of a building, its fabric and its services. The Commercial Energy Performance Certificate gives an A to G rating (or Asset Rating) of energy performance based on CO2 emissions and includes recommendations for improvement. Our EPCs are accompanied by a Recommendations Report highlighting measures, which if adopted have the potential to save you energy and money. Commercial Energy Performance Certificates will remain valid for 10 years unless the building is modified.

Recommendations Report

Our Recommendation Report is designed to help owners and occupiers to improve the energy efficiency of a building. The recommendations within the report will only include improvements that are appropriate for the building that has been assessed. For each recommendation, indicative paybacks are noted.

The recommendations are provided in four categories, specifically:

  • those with a short term payback - less than three years
  • those with a medium term payback - between three and seven years
  • those with a long term payback - greater than seven years
  • other recommendations (based on the energy assessor's findings)

Which commercial buildings do not require a Commercial Energy Performance Certificate?

The following types of public or commercial buildings do not require an EPC:

  • Places of worship
  • Stand-alone non-dwellings, which measure less than 50 square metres
  • Temporary buildings with a planned life of less than 2 years
  • Industrial premises with low energy usage, where the space is mostly not heated or cooled (e.g. process and heavy engineering workshops and stores with localised workstation conditioning)
  • Buildings to be demolished within 2 years

At what point is the Commercial EPC required?

On construction of a commercial building:

The constructor gives the Energy Performance Certificate and Recommendations Report to the purchaser on physical completion of the building and notifies Building Control, who will not issue the Certificate of Completion until the EPC is provided.

On sale or rent of a commercial building:

As soon as a commercial building is offered for sale or rent the seller or landlord must make an EPC available to prospective buyers or tenants. The Commercial Energy Performance Certificate may cover the whole building or individual units and completion of a contract should not happen without it.

On modification of a commercial building:

It is the responsibility of the construction company, builder or contractor to ensure that any modifications to a commercial building have been assessed and approved, and that an EPC and Recommendations Report have been issued and are subsequently given to the client. They must also notify Building Control, who will not issue the Certificate of Completion until the EPC is provided.

The maximum penalty for non-compliance is currently £5,000, enforceable by the Trading Standards department of the Local Authority concerned. The penalty notice also includes the requirement to produce a valid EPC.

Who can produce Commercial EPCs?

Commercial Energy Performance Certificates and Recommendation Reports can only be produced by a qualified and accredited commercial energy assessor. The accreditation and competence of the assessor must be suitable for the complexity of the building. For non-dwellings this is on a scale of 3 to 5, ranging from a simply-serviced, naturally ventilated building at Level 3, to a complex air-conditioned or highly-serviced industrial building at Level 5.

Regional Buildings Assessments is accredited to assess level 3 buildings, which covers more than 68% of the market and will soon be accredited to level 4 which will cover over 95% of the market.

Contact us

Please Contact Us for a no obligation chat or to arrange a no obligation appointment to discuss your personal Commercial EPC requirements.

Further information

More information about Commercial Energy Performance Certificates is available via the following links: