Industry Heads are in the Sand when it comes to EPCs
26 February 2008
With only two months until Energy Performance Certificates (EPCs) become mandatory, a survey conducted by property and construction specialist RLF has revealed that the industry doesn’t have all the information it needs to comply.
RLF asked a sample of more than 2,500 clients how they would respond to the deadline and the results were split: one third would ignore the deadline and risk being fined, one third would organise an EPC in time, and the remaining third were unsure how to act.
From 6th April 2008, an EPC will be required on construction for all dwellings and also for the construction, sale or rent of any other non-residential building with a floor area in excess of 10,000m2. In July the parameter of the legislation will be extended so that EPCs must be produced for all non-residential buildings larger than 2,500m2. The requirements are part of the Government’s wider initiative to reduce carbon emissions within the building industry and non-compliance could result in fines of up to £5,000.
A further part of the initiative, to be introduced in October 2008, is Display Energy Certificates (DECs). DECs will show the annual energy consumption of a building and will be compulsory for all buildings larger than 1,000 m2 and occupied by public organisations.
“The worrying results of our survey show that, far from being ready in time for the new regulations, some organisations will simply ignore them,” said Paul Crossley, Environmental Innovation Manager at RLF.
“But this doesn’t seem to be out of stubbornness on the industry’s behalf, as it has invested significantly in an attempt to deliver EPCs on time. Rather, many organisations are still unsure exactly what is required of them. The situation is made worse because the Government has only just released the software to calculate EPCs, with less than seven weeks to go. The software for DECs has yet to be finished.”
“Consequently there are still many uncertainties – for example, it is difficult to calculate exactly how long it will take to assess a building and how much it will cost.”
“This means it is even more crucial for organisations to act now and take advice to ensure they can obtain an EPC in time. Ultimately, the Certificates will be a positive step towards creating environmentally friendly buildings and burying heads in the sand will not make the regulations go away.”
For more information on EPC legislation, visit the Energy Saving Trust (www.energysavingtrust.org.uk/), RICS (www.rics.org/), or RLF (www.rlf.co.uk/)
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Notes to Editors:
RLF is a UK firm of construction and property consultants, with over 100 years of experience in the industry. The company provides services to public and private sector clients and is currently involved in projects with a total value well in excess of £1billion.
RLF has 170 staff spread across eight offices around the UK - Birmingham, Brighton, Edinburgh, Glasgow, London, Manchester, Sheffield and Stevenage and was recently voted one of the UK’s top professional services firms in the “MPF100 Best Professional Firms to Work For” survey.
Key areas of work are quantity surveying, project management, engineering services, building surveying, management consulting, health and safety services and more recently specialist sustainability advice to meet the major environmental changes in the industry.
RLF works across the commercial, education, government & defence, healthcare, industrial, office, residential, retail and sport & leisure sectors, to provide clients with innovative solutions to their construction and property needs. Clients include Royal Mail, John Lewis, Grosvenor, Pfizer and Barclays. For more information visit www.rlf.co.uk
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Kate Jones
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