Ministers Make the Last-minute EPC Changes

Ministers are to make last-minute amendments to the guidelines governing Energy Performance Certificates (EPC) amid concerns there are too few qualified energy assessors.

The Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG) is to give a six-month grace period to landlords whose property is already on the market when EPCs are introduced next month.

The certificates, which give an A to G rating of a building’s potential energy efficiency, were to become compulsory from 6 April for any building over 10,000 sq m when it is built, sold or let.

However, the transitional arrangements will mean that any property on the market as of 6 April will not need an EPC until the end of September, provided it stays on the market or is sold before that date.

Commercial buildings of more than 2,500 sq m will need an EPC from 1 July 2008, and all other premises from 1 October.

It is hoped the move will avoid the controversy that dogged the introduction of Home Information Packs, which were delayed last year following a legal challenge from the RICS.

The transition period is to be introduced following calls from industry stakeholders who were concerned that too few energy assessors had been accredited to work on commercial schemes.

Many would-be assessors were only able to start training at the beginning of March due to delays in finalising the computer model used to calculate the rating.

The DCLG predicts fewer than 100 will be needed to cope with demand on 6 April and says it is on course to reach this figure, although it refused to say how many had so far been accredited.

Amendments are expected to be made to the European Communities Act, which contains the European Energy Performance of Buildings Directive of which EPCs are a part, on Thursday.

If this is of interest to you please contact David Jackson.