Designing Buildings - User contributions [en]

User:NickKatzFRICS

2013-01-11T21:36:36Z

NickKatzFRICS: Created page with " My name is Nick. I love property. I believe that through transparency and sharing, we can all do our jobs much better, and improve the performance of buildings much faster than ..."

My name is Nick. I love property. I believe that through transparency and sharing, we can all do our jobs much better, and improve the performance of buildings much faster than ever before. Viva open platforms!

Energy act of 2011

2013-01-11T21:33:14Z

NickKatzFRICS: Created page with " On Tuesday, 18 October 2011, the Energy Bill received Royal Assent and became the Energy Act 2011. The Energy Bill was first introduced into the House of Lords in December 2010..."

On Tuesday, 18 October 2011, the Energy Bill received Royal Assent and became the Energy Act 2011. The Energy Bill was first introduced into the House of Lords in December 2010 and completed its Commons stages on 14 September 2011. The Lords were content with Commons amendments, which allowed the Bill to receive Royal Assent on 18 October 2011.

The Energy Act provides for some of the key elements of the Coalition’s Programme for Government and its first [http://www.decc.gov.uk/en/content/cms/what_we_do/uk_supply/aes/aes.aspx Annual Energy Statement.] It is a first step in our legislative programme, and further legislation has been sought to implement, for example, the findings of the Electricity Market Reform Programme.

The Act provides for a step change in the provision of energy efficiency measures to homes and businesses, and makes improvements to our framework to enable and secure low-carbon energy supplies and fair competition in the energy markets.

The Act includes provisions on:

== GREEN DEAL ==
<ul style="padding-top: 0px; margin-top: 0.5em; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-left: 0px; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: normal; background-color: rgb(245, 245, 245);">
<li>The Act creates a new financing framework to enable the provision of fixed improvements to the energy efficiency of households and non-domestic properties, funded by a charge on energy bills that avoids the need for consumers to pay upfront costs.</li>
</ul>
== PRIVATE RENTED SECTOR ==
<ul style="padding-top: 0px; margin-top: 0.5em; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-left: 0px; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: normal; background-color: rgb(245, 245, 245);">
<li>The Act includes provisions to ensure that from April 2016, private residential landlords will be unable to refuse a tenant's reasonable request for consent to energy efficiency improvements where a finance package, such as the Green Deal and/or the Energy Company Obligation (ECO), is available.</li>
<li>Provisions in the Act also provide for powers to ensure that from April 2018, it will be unlawful to rent out a residential or business premise that does not reach a minimum energy efficiency standard (the intention is for this to be set at EPC rating 'E').</li>
</ul>
== ENERGY COMPANY OBLIGATION ==

The Act amends existing powers in the [http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1986/44 (opens in a new tab or window)], [http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1989/29/contents (opens in a new tab or window)] and the [http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2000/27/contents (opens in a new tab or window)] to enable the Secretary of State to create a new Energy Company Obligation that will:
<ul style="padding-top: 0px; margin-top: 0.5em; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-left: 0px; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: normal; background-color: rgb(245, 245, 245);">
<li>take over from existing obligations to reduce carbon emissions (the [http://www.decc.gov.uk/en/content/cms/funding/funding_ops/cert/cert.aspx Carbon Emissions Reduction Target (CERT)] and [http://www.decc.gov.uk/en/content/cms/funding/funding_ops/cesp/cesp.aspx Community Energy Saving Programme (CESP)]), which expire at the end of 2012</li>
<li>work alongside the Green Deal finance offer by targeting appropriate measures at those households likely to need additional support – in particular those containing vulnerable people on low incomes and in hard-to-treat housing</li>
</ul>
The Act also includes measures to:
<ul style="padding-top: 0px; margin-top: 0.5em; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-left: 0px; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: normal; background-color: rgb(245, 245, 245);">
<li>improve energy efficiency and energy security</li>
<li>enable low-carbon technologies</li>
<li>extend the role of the Coal Authority</li>
<li>repeal the Home Energy Conservation Act 1995 (HECA) in Scotland and Wales.</li>
</ul>

[[Category:Regulations]]

Energy certificates for buildings

2013-01-11T21:31:36Z

NickKatzFRICS:

= Introduction =

The Energy Performance of Buildings Directive is intended to reduce the amount of energy used and carbon produced by buildings. The requirements were originally introduced in England and Wales by the Energy Performance of Buildings (Certificates and Inspections) (England and Wales) Regulations 2007.

On 9 January 2013, the [http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2012/3118/contents/made Energy Performance of Buildings (England and Wales) Regulations] 2012 took effect. This consolidated and revoked all previous regulations.

The regulations require that:
*Energy performance certificates (EPC's) are produced for certain dwellings and non dwellings.
*Display energy certificates (DEC's) are produced for large public buildings.
*Air conditioning equipment above a certain size is inspected.
<div>
= Energy performance certificates =
</div>
Energy performance certificates (EPC's), set out the energy efficiency rating of buildings. They are required when buildings are built, sold or rented if they have a roof and walls and use energy to condition an indoor climate. If a building contains separate units (for example a block of flats), each unit needs an EPC, but they are not required for shared bedsit type accommodation.

Buildings that do not need an energy performance certificate include:
*Places of worship.
*Temporary buildings.
*Stand-alone buildings with a floor area of less than 50 square metres.
*Industrial and agricultural buildings with low energy requirements.
*Protected buildings, where compliance with energy efficiency requirements would unacceptably alter their character or appearance.
*Rented dwellings that continue to be occupied by the same tenant since before 1 October 2008.
*Buildings that are suitable for demolition.

Buildings are rated from A to G on EPC's, with A representing a very efficient building and G a very inefficient building.

EPC's are provided by accredited energy assessors who will also provide a recommendation report to help owners and occupiers make their building more energy efficient, and may identify recommendations that could be eligible for Green Deal financing. There is no requirement to act on the recommendations.

While there is no requirement for recommendations to made currently, the Energy Act of 2011 stipulates that buildings that do not meet minimum energy performance standards in 2018 will be illegal to let.

EPC's are valid for 10 years. They must be made available free of charge to prospective buyers or tenants at the earliest opportunity, and where EPC's are available, adverts must show the energy rating of a building (although it is no longer necessary to attach the front page of the EPC to written material).

For commercial buildings larger than 500 square metres that are frequently visited by the public, an EPC must be displayed if one is available.

For new buildings, obtaining an EPC is the responsibility of the person carrying out the construction.
<div>
= Display energy certificates =
</div>
Display energy certificates (DEC's) show the energy performance of a building based on actual energy consumption. They are intended to raise public awareness of the energy use of buildings. Buildings are rated from A to G on DEC's, with A representing a very efficient building and G a not very efficient building. DEC's should be displayed prominently in a place visible to the public.

DEC's are required for buildings that:
*have a roof and walls, and;
*use energy to condition an indoor climate, and;
*have a total usable floor area of over 500 square metres, and;
*are occupied by public authorities, and ;
*are frequently visited by the public.

They are valid for one year and must be updated annually, although DEC's for buildings less than 1,000 square metres are valid for 10 years.

An advisory report must also be prepared every seven years giving recommendations to owners and occupiers about making their building more energy efficient.

The government intends to roll-out DEC's to a wider range of buildings. They can already be prepared on a voluntary basis for non-public buildings, and it is expected that this will become mandatory in the future.

= Air conditioning inspections =

The regulations require that air conditioning systems with an effective rated output of more than 12kw are inspected every 5 years. An inspection report is then produced providing information about the efficiency of the system and advice about how to improve it. There is no requirement to act on the recommendations.

= Find out more =

=== Related pages on Designing Buildings Wiki ===
*CRC Energy Efficiency Scheme.
*Demolition.
*Energy related products regulations.
*Energy targets.
*Green Deal.
*Listed buildings.
*Sustainability.

=== External references ===
*Legislation: [http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2012/3118/contents/made Energy Performance of Buildings (England and Wales)].
*Department for Communities and Local Government: [https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/39374/A_guide_to_energy_performance_certificates_for_the_construction_sale_and_let_of_non-dwellings.pdf A guide to energy performance certificates for the construction, sale and let of non-dwellings].
*Department for Communities and Local Government: [https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/39375/A_guide_to_energy_performance_certificates_for_the_construction__sale_and_let_of_dwellings.pdf A guide to energy performance certificates for the construction, sale and let of dwellings].
*Department for Communities and Local Government: [https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/39376/A_guide_to_display_energy_certificates_and_advisory_reports_for_public_buildings.pdf A guide to display energy certificates and advisory reports for public buildings].
*Department for Communities and Local Government: [https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/39377/A_guide_to_air_conditioning_inspections_for_buildings.pdf A guide to air conditioning inspections for buildings].
*Department for Communities and Local Government: [https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/39378/Local_weights_and_measures_guidance_for_energy_certificates_and_air_conditioning_inspections_for_buildings.pdf Local weights and measures authority guidance for energy performance certificates and air conditioning inspections for buildings].
*Department for Communities and Local Government: [https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/39379/Impact_Assessment.pdf Recast of the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive - impact assessment].
*Guild of residential landlords: [https://www.landlordsguild.com/changes-to-epc-regulations-2013/ Changes to EPC Regulations 2013].

[[Category:Contracts_/_payment]]
[[Category:Construction_management]]
[[Category:Sustainability]]
[[Category:Other_legislation]]
[[Category:Property_law]]
[[Category:Regulations]]
[[Category:Property_development]]