Government consults on reforms to EPCs and DECs
The government is consulting on proposed reforms to Energy Performance Certificates (EPCs) and Display Energy Certificates (DECs) in England and Wales. The changes would come into force in 2026 and include both domestic and non-domestic buildings.
EPCs: changes to metrics
The government wants EPC systems to provide a wider range of higher quality building performance data that will drive building decarbonisation and tackle fuel poverty.
A key aspect of the consultation considers changing the metrics that are used to determine a building’s EPC rating. Currently, for domestic EPCs, the Energy Efficiency Rating (EER) is the headline metric, calculated using modelled energy costs per square metre. For non-domestic certificates, carbon emissions per square metre are the primary metric.
For domestic buildings, the government wants to adopt other headline metrics including ‘fabric performance’, ‘heating system’, ‘smart readiness’ and ‘energy cost’.
For non-domestic buildings, the government is proposing carbon emissions are maintained as the single headline metric for now. However, it is seeking views on whether additional metrics are applied in future. This is because using carbon as a metric alone can give an incomplete picture of energy performance, as a building may see an improvement in its rating as the electricity grid decarbonises, even if no action has been taken to improve the building’s performance.
Future scope: operational building performance
While not in the remit of the current consultation, the government says that EPCs could potentially expand beyond measuring energy efficiency to include other aspects of building performance. This could include a building’s resilience to climate change impacts and its adaptation measures. Additionally, metrics concerning occupant health, wellbeing, biodiversity, and water efficiency could be evaluated.
The data shown on EPCs could also be incorporated with actual energy use data which could provide feedback to occupants on how their behaviour is influencing their energy consumption, as well as highlighting any discrepancies between the predicted performance of a building during design versus in operation.
Reducing the validity periods for EPCs
The consultation also seeks views on reducing the validity period of EPCs, so that building upgrades, such as fabric changes, can be captured more frequently. This would provide prospective buyers and tenants with more accurate and up-to-date information. At present, an EPC is valid for 10 years.
Heritage buildings
The government is also proposing that all heritage buildings are required to have an EPC.
Currently, buildings officially protected as part of a designated environment or because of their special architectural or historical merit are not required to have an EPC in so far as compliance with certain minimum energy performance requirements would unacceptably alter their character or appearance.
Alternatives to DECs
The consultation also seeks views on the “usefulness” of DECS; whether they have raised public awareness of energy usage in public buildings and, whether they are driving energy performance improvements as intended. It asks whether other approaches may be more effective in driving energy performance improvements.
Public authority buildings which are frequently visited by the public and have a total floor area of over 250m² are required to have a DEC and DEC recommendation report.
The consultation also proposes reducing the validity period of DECs and DEC recommendation reports from 10 years to 7 years for buildings between 250-1,000m², and the validity period of DEC recommendation reports from 7 years to 5 years for buildings over 1,000m².
Improving ACIR compliance
The same consultation also seeks views on revising Air Conditioning Inspection Reports (ACIRs). These are mandatory inspections, carried out by accredited air conditioning energy assessors at regular intervals for all air conditioning systems with an effective rated output of more than 12kW. ACIRs provide building owners or managers with information regarding the operational efficiency of the air conditioning systems that they control. The government wants to improve compliance with the ACIR regime, which is currently low, and improve the format of ACIRs.
More information
The full consultation on EPCs and DECs is on the government website. For advice on proposed changes for non-domestic buildings and how they affect you, get in touch.
