Government proposes to scrap energy ratings for public buildings
Source: edie newsroom
In a consultation published on Wednesday, the Department for Communities and Local Government suggested ‘removing the legal requirement’ for DECs, which show the energy performance of public buildings such as town halls, swimming pools and schools in the form of an alphabetic scale which runs from A to G.
The consolation, which investigates how the current system could be streamlined and improved, states that the removal of DECs entirely is “in line with Government policy not to gold-plate EU Directives, i.e. not to go further than the minimum requirements”.
“The objective is to simplify the regulatory regime as it applies to public buildings, taking appropriate advantage of the flexibilities afforded by the Directive, while continuing to improve the energy efficiency of buildings and minimising unnecessary burdens upon the public purse and ultimately the taxpayer,” the consultation document states.
It concludes that no longer requiring a Display Energy Certificate and recommendation report would save public authorities approximately £0.76m annually and Net Present Value of £63.17m.
Beggars belief
But John Alker, acting chief executive of the UK Green Building Council, says any suggestion of scrapping DECs for public buildings “simply beggars belief”.
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