What is an energy efficiency certificate?
An energy efficiency certificate is just another name for an energy performance certificate (EPC), which is a report detailing the efficiency of your property – be it a residential or commercial building. It takes into account factors such as the function of rooms, heating and ventilation systems and insulation.
When do you need an EPC?
If you are selling or renting a commercial property, claiming money from the Feed-in Tariff, or signing off on a new build.
A domestic EPC is not mandatory, but can help you identify ways to improve the energy efficiency of your home.
EPCs are valid for 10 years, unless the property undergoes considerable restructuring works.
Commercial vs. Domestic EPCs
The fundamental difference between commercial and domestic EPCs is that a commercial EPC takes into account how the premises is used – a domestic EPC is always carried out on a home, but a commercial property could contain separate office space, storage or production areas. in a commercial EPC, these areas are ‘zoned’ and surveyed separately.
Commercial EPCs look into all types of building structures – the only prerequisite is that they have a shell and a core and can be conditioned. On the other hand a domestic property always has a bathroom, bedrooms, a living room and kitchen. The bigger variety in the shape, size and use of commercial rooms makes the assessment process much broader, with more things to consider. It means there is a bigger range of possible heating, ventilation and cooling systems.
Find more information in our blogs or give us a call if you have any questions!
Great write up. We’ll be linking to this excellent article on our website.
Keep up the good writing.