Warning for EPC Compliance

18th July 2008

Developers and owners of all commercial properties have just two months to obtain an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) if they wish to construct, sell or rent a property, according to advisors at the Birmingham office of national property and construction consultancy RLF.

The warning comes after formal transitional arrangements came into effect for properties over 10,000m² on 6 April 2008 and properties over 2,500m² on 1 July.  These required all new properties placed on the market to have an EPC in place before the property is advertised or viewings arranged. This requirement will be extended to cover all commercial properties, whatever their size, from 1 October.

Kevin Campbell, partner at RLF in Birmingham, explained:  “EPCs were introduced in the EU Energy Performance of Buildings Directive, giving all commercial premises a rating from A to G to indicate how energy efficient they are (as for electrical appliances and residential buildings).

“Under the terms of the legislation, if an EPC for any commercial property is not prepared before the relevant deadline, or before the property is advertised or viewed once any transitional period is over, a fine of up to £5,000 per property / unit can be levied on the owner.

“Similarly, any properties above 10,000m² that were constructed or placed on the market before 6 April or those above 2,500m² constructed or placed on the market before the 1 July do not require an EPC immediately but will need to provide one by 1 October or as soon as reasonably possible if the building is sold or let in the interim period.

“While the principles are relatively clear, the introduction of a staged transitional period has significantly muddied the waters, leaving many people confused about what is expected of them and when they need to provide the relevant information.

“Just as with the introduction of HIPs in the residential sector, there are currently not enough Accredited Commercial Energy Assessors to handle the workload as very few people have completed the training.

“Added to the confusion and lack of resources is the fact that the Government has only recently launched the software to calculate Display Energy Certificates, which must be prominently displayed in all public buildings, making it clear there could well be problems ahead.”

Kevin concluded:  “If there are not enough Assessors to properly handle the workload in the timeframe agreed, property owners will need to take steps to ensure they are not liable for fines. 

“Developers and property owners will need to be able to provide formal proof that they commissioned an EPC at least 14 days before it was required and have not received a valid EPC despite all reasonable efforts if they want any fines to be lifted.

“All those involved in the sale or lease of commercial premises would be well advised to take advice at the earliest opportunity to avoid falling victim to a backlog of applications over the next few months." 

ENDS

For further information, please contact:
Elizabeth Green or Gemma Perks on 0121 772 5533 or email elizabethgreen@armadillo-pr.com or gemmaperks@armadillo-pr.com

Notes to Editor:
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 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 challenges facing 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