Display Energy Certificates (DEC)

Display Energy Certificate.

As from 9th July 2015 buildings over 250 m2 that are occupied by public authorities and frequently visited by the public. Some of these can include schools, hospitals, doctors surgeries, council offices. Up Energy can undertake Display Energy Certificates on all buildings, including the new lower 250 m2 threshold.

For buildings over 1000 m2 the DEC is valid for 12 months and should be renewed every year For these buildings an Advisory report is valid for 7 years. For buildings between 250 m2 and 999 m2 the DEC and advisory report are valid for 10 years. Although, many organisations choose to renew their <1000 m2 DEC every 12 months so that they can track their year on year energy usage.

A DEC is designed to be displayed in a prominent place in the building and shows the energy rating of that building over the last 12 months using actual energy consumption. This is called the operational rating and is a numerical indicator in graph form of the carbon emissions of that building compared to other building of that type.

The DEC scale goes from A to G, A being better.

The advisory report accompanies a DEC and contains a range of improvement and cost effective measures that can help improve the energy performance of the building. Most public buildings over 1000 m2 would have had their first DEC and Advisory Report produce when the legislation was first introduced in 2008. As an Advisory Report is valid for 7 years this is an ideal time to instruct a DEC assessor from Up Energy to visit the site and renew the Advisory Report and DEC. We can also undertake Display Energy Certificates and Advisory Reports falling into the new 250 – 999 m2 threshold.

A qualified DEC assessor must visit the property to collect data regarding heating, hot water, lighting, building fabric and room activities. Ideally scale plans should be provided to the assessor for this purpose. A full 12 months of accurate energy bills will also need to be provided.

It depends on the size and complexity of the building. Once a DEC and advisory report have been undertaken the follow up years DEC can often be undertaken without the assessor going back to site which can significantly reduce the cost thereafter. Contact Up Energy for a no obligation quote and advice. Now is a great time to renew your DEC and Advisory Report if your building was over 1000 m2, Up Energy can also undertake Display Energy Certificates on the smaller 250 m2 buildings at the same time, reducing site visits and costs to you.