Government Business

On 1 October this year, the final parts of the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD) will come into force. For many publicly funded bodies, the key requirement will be the display of the new Display Energy Certificates (DECs) on their premises.
    
While Energy Performance Certificates (EPCs) are only required when a building is constructed, let or sold, DECs must be prepared for buildings that:

• have more than 1,000m2 of usable floor space
• are publicly-funded (this includes PFI projects)
• are visited by large numbers of the public.
  

The DECs must be displayed prominently for visitors to see, the reception area being a suitable area. In addition, while EPCs are valid for up to ten years, DECs have to be renewed annually. On a single site with a number of buildings (such as a university campus) where some of the buildings are over 1,000m2 and others are smaller, DECs are required for the larger buildings.

Operational ratings
Another difference between EPCs and DECs is that while the former measure the ‘design efficiency’ of a building through an asset rating concentrating on construction elements and installed systems, the latter focus on how well a building is being managed through the operational rating. This is essentially the annual energy consumption divided by the useful floor area. This figure is then related to a benchmark figure for the type of building. This is then presented graphically in an A-G scale, very similar to those found on appliances such as fridge/freezers and dishwashers – and on new cars.
    
The data required for compiling a DEC is, essentially, the figures for energy consumption over a 12-month period. In the case of metered ­supplies – primarily electricity and gas – these figures can be taken from on-site meters. This means you need a meter read for two dates 12 months apart. If the organisation has a maximum electrical demand of more than 100kW, then it will already have half-hourly metering. Otherwise readings from on-site meters are acceptable, but clearly if there is an automatic Monitoring & Targeting (aM&T) system in place, this will provide the figures anyway. If meter readings are not available, then an estimated consumption is allowable – provided the estimate is made by the utility. Liquid and solid fuel consumption can be calculated using delivery notes.
    
There are, however, issues about ‘synchronisation’. Not all meters are read on the same day, nor are liquid/solid fuel deliveries made on the same day. Yet the operational rating covers one calendar year, so some adjustment has to be made to take account of the different reading dates. Procedures have been set down for this and the assessor will be able to calculate them.
    
Robust figures covering 95 per cent of energy use must be prepared for the assessor. If these are not available the building will be given a default rating of 200 – which is twice the average (or benchmark) figure for the type of building – and automatically achieves a ‘G’ rating.
    
For multi-building sites, a DEC must be provided for each building that qualifies. Ideally, utility meters for that building should be used. Any building constructed to the 2002 Part L Building Regulations should have meters for each building over 500m2 on all primary utilities.
    
For older buildings where meters are not installed, it is acceptable to calculate consumption pro-rata from site-wide metered data and then provide a legal certificate. ESTA believes this should only be a short-term measure as it does not achieve the aim of the Directive, i.e. the improvement of building energy performance.
    
For smaller buildings, estimated readings can be used but only those provided by the utility supplier. Again, we believe this should be a short-term measure as metering is the starting point for identifying and improving energy performance.

Obtaining a certificate
Under the legislation, only approved assessors can issue these certificates. Due to delays in approving training schemes, it is anticipated that there may not be enough to carry out all the inspections necessary in time. And given that many organisations may have left certification till late in the day, there could well be a last-minute rush which will put more pressure on the assessors available.
    
To make sure that the energy certification process is completed by 1 October, it is important to take action now.
    
Firstly, it is possible for in-house staff to become accredited as assessors. While energy assessors have to be independent, in-house staff can be approved through accredited energy assessor schemes. This ensures that existing expertise and local knowledge makes the process easier and less costly. Also, given the shortage of trained assessors, this allows organisations to plan their own certification programmes rather than being reliant on (scarce) outside resources. This may prove particularly useful for those with a portfolio of sites.
    
Furthermore, it may well prove advantageous to consider investment in an automatic Monitoring & Targeting (aM&T) system. In addition to removing much of the time-consuming and repetitive work on data collection and analysis, several aM&T developers among the ESTA membership are in the process of gaining accreditation for their systems so that they can be used to issue DECs. This is likely to be especially where users have extensive historical data in existing aM&T systems.
    
The certificates grade a building against typical structures of the same type. However, some buildings are not typical and, where the energy use of some activities can be separated, these can be excluded from the assessment. An office block with a regional server room in its basement is one example. For this type of activity to be excluded, it must first of all be listed as an ‘allowable separable energy use’ by the regulations and it must be separately metered. In larger properties, areas with higher energy consumption are likely to have zoned sub-metering but if not, and you think there might be scope for excluding a high consumption activity, consideration should be given to installing this technology.
    
An essential part of the DEC is the advisory report that sets out a range of possible improvements to the building. This list will include cost-effective measures to improve energy performance, including zero and low cost operational and management improvements, possible upgrades to the building fabric and services – as well as opportunities to install Low and Zero Carbon (LZC) technologies. This report is valid for seven years.

The recommendations, however, are generic and the Government advises that professional advice should be taken before making any decisions on the best ways to improve the building’s energy performance.

Non-compliance
Failure to display a DEC can incur a penalty from the local authority of £500 plus a further £1,000 if the building owner is not in possession of a valid advisory report. The charge is not applicable if it can be shown that all reasonable steps were taken to avoid breaching the regulations.
    
The certification process will still have to be completed or further penalties can be incurred. The ‘all reasonable steps’ qualification may allow building owners to escape penalty in the short term but DECs are here to stay and the sooner the correct procedures are set in place to administer the process, the less likelihood there is of non-compliance action.
    
And it should not be forgotten that operational ratings, as part of a continuous energy management programme, can provide an important spur to improve the performance of the building and so reduce consumption, cut emissions – and save money.

The Energy Services and Technology Association (ESTA) represents over 100 major providers of energy management equipment and services across the UK.

For more information
For more details visit the website at: www.esta.org.uk