...before sale, letting, construction and assignment of commercial property. 

 

Since April 2008 the new Energy Performance Certificates for commercial buildings have been phased in for all commercial property sold, let or constructed. 

 

The Energy Performance Certificate will be based upon a detailed model of the building with its heating, ventilation and air conditioning services. It will provide a grading, carbon emission rating and running cost. The model can then be used to assist with advise for future improvements. 

 

A commercial EPC for a non-dwelling building will be valid for 10 years or until replaced with a newer one. As long as a valid EPC exists for the building, you can provide this to prospective tenants / buyers. 

 

The relevant Management / Owner has duty to provide an EPC to a prospective buyer or tenant and will be liable to a penalty if they fail to do so. Irrespective of whether the prospective buyer or tenant purports to waive an entitlement to receive the certificate. 

 

EPCs will have a real effect upon the market as the large investors seek to avoid poorly graded property in order to boost their green credentials. In addition, tax incentives or penalties seem likely for the future. 

 

The recommendations that accompany the certificates show ways to reduce energy needs, which in turn can lead to both lower energy bills and carbon emissions. Even relatively small improvements in the energy efficiency can have an impact and together with tax incentives, improvements in energy efficiency can be rewarding. Compact fluorescents last eight times as long as filament lamps, which can cut building maintenance costs by more than 80%. A local authority discovered that the labor cost for changing a single filament lamp in sheltered accommodation was 40 times the cost of a new modern lamp. So a change to compact fluorescent has given savings in maintenance costs as well as a 75% saving in energy costs. 

 

If you have current scaled drawings of your buildings available the process will be made easier, if there are no drawings to hand then NBHI will make the necessary calculations based on their on site observations. 

 

If you can demonstrate the building is suitable for demolition and the resulting site is suitable for redevelopment and you believe on reasonable grounds that the prospective buyer or tenant intends to demolish the building, you do not need to provide an EPC. Generally this can demonstrated by having the relevant planning permission or evidence that planning permission has been applied for.