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Commercial EPCs

Who Needs a Commercial EPC?

Commercial Energy Performance Certificates (EPC) are a legal requirement to have in place when you sell or lease a non domestic property anywhere in the UK. Since the introduction of the Minimum Energy Efficiency Standards (MEES) legislation in April 2018 properties with an EPC rating of F or G cannot be let out until work has been carried out to improve the rating to at least an E.

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Avoid Sale Transactions Falling Through

This has led to many banks and financial institutions now refusing to carry out sale transactions on F and G rated properties. As well as providing Commercial EPCs, we can also provide tailored advice on the most cost effective and least disruptive ways to improve your rating to at least an E with our Minimum Energy Efficiency Standards (MEES) Consultation service.

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Properties Exempt from Needing an EPC

Some types of property are exempt from requiring a commercial EPC. If your property falls into one of the following categories then it may be exempt, however there are certain circumstances where an EPC may still be required:

Temporary structures with a planned use less than 2 years

Places of Worship

Properties with under 50m2 usable floor space which are detached (no wall touching a wall of another building)

Properties due for demolition with a demolition order in place

There is also technically an exemption for “Low energy demand properties e.g. agricultural barns” however as the government has never clarified what exactly classes as “low energy demand” this exemption is not one that can currently be applied.

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Bookings can be made online or if you prefer to phone, call us Mon-Fri 9 am – 6pm, where a friendly and helpful member of staff will be happy to assist you.

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What does the survey involve?

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1

Before the Survey

Commercial EPC surveys are more in depth than their domestic counterparts and generally involve making a 3d model of the building in specialist software. The assessor carrying out the survey must have a Non Domestic Energy Assessor (NDEA) qualification at a level appropriate for the type of building. On booking we will ask you questions about the building to ascertain what level it needs to be surveyed as.
2

During the Survey

During the survey the assessor will take measurements and photographs of the building, and make notes about the way the building is constructed, the space and water heating, ventilation and lighting. The survey is only of the building itself, so energy use from any industrial process etc. that may be undertaken inside is not taken into account.
3

After the Visit

Once the assessor has completed the site visit the data will be processed by either the assessor themselves, or for more complex buildings one of our dedicated energy calculation team. This involves making a 3d computer model of the building in specialist software such as Design Builder or IES. This model is then loaded with additional data about the construction and services and the EPC rating is calculated by the software.
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The Calculation

The calculation itself follows a methodology called the Simplified Building Energy Model (SBEM). The assessor does not make any subjective judgements about the energy performance of the building, but rather collects data which is fed into the software that calculates the result. The resulting commercial EPC is accompanied by a recommendation report that makes suggestions as to how the buildings rating can be improved.

What Do I Get?

Once complete you will receive 2 documents, the EPC itself, which is valid for 10 years, and a recommendation report which gives advice on how to improve the rating of your property. The advice on the recommendation report is produced automatically by the software, and the assessor then removes recommendations that are not suitable for your property, and may add other recommendations that they judge to be more appropriate. The advice on the recommendation report is fairly generic. If you need more detailed advice specifically tailored to your property then we can also provide this as a separate product with our Minimum Energy Efficiency Standards (MEES) consultation service.

Make a Booking

Bookings can be made online or if you prefer to phone, call us Mon-Fri 9 am – 6pm, where a friendly and helpful member of staff will be happy to assist you.

Get a Quote