Who needs a Commercial EPC?

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All commercial properties require an Energy Performance Certificate when being sold or let. Ratings are often used by tenants or potential buyers to make energy comparisons between properties. A Commercial EPC comes with a recommendation report that outlines how the energy performance of the building could be improved.

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Benefits of a Commercial EPC?

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An EPC assesses a buildings by giving a standard energy and carbon emission efficiency grade from 'A' to 'G', where 'A' is the best and with the average to date being D/E.

Property with the best ratings are more attractive to potential tenants and buyers as they are cheaper to run.

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Booking an EPC

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Not having a valid Commercial EPC can be a real inconvenience for both owners and property agents. There is now shared responsibility between agent and commercial landlord to make sure that the property is legal to market by having a valid EPC within 7 days of marketing, if one is not already available, a reduction in time from the original 28 day grace period that was in place before April 2012 legislation came into effect this year with more stringent criteria regarding EPC law.

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What Are The Consequences Of Not Having a Commercial EPC?

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A property can be legal to market as soon as an EPC is booked so there is no need to worry about having to wait for the assessment to be completed and the certificate in your hands. As long as you have proof of booking you are able to market instantly.

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As well as when a property is to be put up for market an EPC is still required when:-

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• A property is viewed

• Written information is requested

• Contracts are being exchanged

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Any commercial property owner that fails to produce a valid commercial EPC is liable to be fined by Trading Standards anywhere between £5000 to £20,000 per property, depending on the rateable value of the building in question.

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What About Exemptions?

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The following types of properties are exempt from requiring a Commercial EPC:-

• Places of Worship

• Temporary structures with a planned use less than 2 years

• Stand alone properties with under 50m2 useable floor space

• Properties due for demolition with a demolition order in place

• Low energy demand properties e.g. agricultural barns

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Who Will Carry Out The Commercial EPC?

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A Commercial EPC assessment will be carried out by a certified Non-Domestic Energy Assessor (NDEA), who is qualified to the Level in which the property falls. As well as being qualified each assessor must be accredited by one of the government approved bodies, where they are regularly audited to ensure they are in compliance with the high standards set

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What data is required to produce the Commercial EPC?

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The EPC is calculated by analysing a number of physical attributes of the property focusing on:-

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• Property Size, Age, Type and Construction Materials used

• Lighting

• Ventilation

• Wall and Loft Insulation

• Windows

• Central Heating and Hot Water systems.

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How is the information used?

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Once the Energy Assessor has the required data, the Commercial EPC can then be processed and the information collated, using the Simplified Building Energy Model interface (iSBEM). This is a government approved, standardised software program used throughout the industry. The package uses a notional building with average running costs as a comparison or control to help calculate the data.

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What happens once its complete?

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The report is lodged with the central Landmark register for either England & Wales, Scotland or Ireland' on completion and allocated a unique 24 digit Report Reference Number (RRN). A Commercial EPC and Recommendation Report are then drawn up for each commercial property in question.