Building and Maintenance
New regulations in practice: What facilities managers need to know PDF Print E-mail
Written by David Bleicher, Senior Research Engineer, BSRIA, 2008   

One of the most important changes in the FM landscape for 2008 was the introduction of measures under the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive. David Bleicher explains what is involved.

  • What are the different types of energy certificates required for buildings?
  • Who assesses buildings for Energy Performance Certificates (EPCs)?

Back in 2002, the EU issued a Directive on the Energy Performance of Buildings (EPBD).

The concept was that the 29 Member States would each use their own regulatory structure to make their buildings more energy-efficient.

In England and Wales, the first few articles of the directive were implemented in April 2006 when Part L of the Building Regulations was updated.

These updates included CO2 emissions targets for new buildings, and "consequential improvements" to the energy efficiency of existing buildings whenever an extension or major renovation work is carried out.

The remaining articles of the EPBD are in various stages of implementation in England and Wales, and the government has issued a timetable for this (Table 1).

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Table 1. Government timetable for EPBD implementation.

 

Energy Performance Certificates


Energy Performance Certificates (EPCs) for dwellings were introduced in 2007 as part of the Home Information Pack (HIP) legislation.

Similar certificates will have to be provided on sale, rental and construction of non-dwellings through 2008.

The Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG) recently issued an explanatory publication entitled, Improving the Energy Efficiency of Our Buildings: A guide to energy performance certificates for the construction, sale and let of non-dwellings.

The most noticeable feature of an EPC is the A to G energy rating, which will be familiar to anyone who has bought a new car or fridge in the last few years.

The energy band a building falls in is based on an 'asset rating', which is a theoretical measure of its inherent energy efficiency.

This doesn't take your actual energy consumption into account. So if you have an efficient building but you run it inefficiently, e.g. by leaving lights on in unoccupied rooms, you will still get a good asset rating.

An 'A' rating is something to aspire to, but is actually quite difficult to achieve and may require incorporating some low or zero carbon technologies.

A brand new building that goes no further than meeting Part L of the Building Regulations will only achieve a 'C' rating.

The certificate will also include information about who produced it and how it was produced.

Accompanying each certificate will be a recommendation report, suggesting ways in which the energy rating can be improved.

The assessment itself involves inspection of plans (if available) and a survey of the building covering physical dimensions, building services plant and levels of thermal insulation.

All the data gathered then needs to be entered into approved software.

The first software to be approved for producing EPCs was the Simplified Building Energy Model (SBEM).

This software was originally devised as a way of calculating CO2 emissions from new buildings to show compliance with Part L of the Building Regulations.

An updated version was released in February 2008, which can be used for the production of EPCs for new and existing buildings.

There is a free SBEM interface called iSBEM (this can be downloaded from www.ncm.bre.co.uk/ ).

Some software providers have their own versions of SBEM, which have different user interfaces but use the same calculation methodology.

As its name implies, SBEM has limitations, so more complex buildings should be assessed using Detailed Simulation Models (DSMs).

At the time of writing, there was only one DSM approved for producing EPCs: TAS Building Designer, from EDSL. IES hope to get their Virtual Environment software approved shortly.

Energy assessor qualifications


In order to obtain an EPC, the building must be assessed by someone who is a member of one of the following government-approved accreditation schemes:
  • BESCA/HVCA;
  • BRE;
  • CIBSE;
  • Elmhurst;
  • EPC Limited;
  • National Energy Services;
  • Northgate;
  • Quidos;
  • RICS.

Assessors wishing to become accredited must either obtain a recognised qualification from an awarding body, or demonstrate that they have Approved Prior Experience and Learning (APEL).

As training courses for assessors have only recently been launched and it takes time to complete full training, it is likely that many assessments after 6 April will be done by experienced energy assessors accredited under the APEL route.

The level of expertise required depends on the complexity of the building being assessed.

For example, a level 3 assessor will only be able to assess simple buildings such as a converted house or a doctor's surgery.

An EPC for a large complex office building would have to be produced by a level 5 assessor and would require the use of a DSM rather than SBEM.

Display Energy Certificates for public buildings


Whereas buildings being sold, rented or constructed will require an EPC containing an asset rating, public buildings over 1,000m2 will require a different sort of certificate.

A Display Energy Certificate (DEC) will contain an operational rating based on the building's actual energy consumption over the past year, and will be renewed annually.

The operators of such buildings therefore have an incentive to improve the way their buildings are managed, in addition to making improvements to the building's fabric and services.

Even though the assessment methodology, software and qualifications for DECs have not yet fallen into place, operators of public buildings should ensure they have energy bills going back least as far as September 2007, ready for the assessment to take place in time for the October 2008 implementation date.

Some information on DECs, including which buildings require them, can be found at www.communities.gov.uk/epbd . More detailed guidance will be issued closer to the implementation date.

Boiler and air conditioning inspections


The EU Directive included an article on mandatory boiler inspections, but also allowed Member States to opt for a programme of advice to boiler owners.

Our government has gone for the latter option, so householders and commercial building owners should be receiving advice on how to use their boilers efficiently and when to replace them.

So far, this advice programme has not been very high-profile, so it will not come as a surprise if the EU demands that England and Wales implement mandatory boiler inspections at some point.

The Directive also included an article on mandatory air conditioning inspections, but with no option for an advice scheme.

A methodology has been produced by CIBSE in the form of TM44 Assessment of Air Conditioning Systems, but it hasn't been officially adopted yet.

As with EPCs and DECs, inspections will need to be carried out by accredited assessors. Training courses and accreditation schemes are expected to follow soon.

David Bleicher is Senior Research Engineer at BSRIA. Please visit www.bsria.co.uk
 
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