Maximising Commercial EPC Value
Maximising the commercial EPC value of non-domestic property in London is a concern for all landlords. The introduction of MEES effectively raised the minimum standards for EPC throughout the UK. MEES was just the first stepping stone in lower carbon through reducing energy consumption. The Greater London Authority (GLA) has created further blueprints up to 2030 to reduce London’s carbon footprint. The biggest of which arrives on the 1st of April 2023 where even long-term leases in London have to meet the E standard of EPC. Maximising the EPC value of your commercial properties increase your profit through sales and rent. The easiest way to maximise an EPC value is to provide the assessor with accurate and in-depth information.
How is your EPC rating Calculated?
An EPC rating is calculated through a software-based model. This model uses information gathered from an inspection and questionaire to calculate the amount of carbon emission a building produces through its energy usage. Where accurate information is not available the assessor uses default values that are conservative, worst-case scenarios that will always be far worse than your actual values.
A mistake a lot of business in London make regarding the EPC assessment is not providing enough information in the EPC questionnaire. When a commercial EPC surveyor inspects a property, they can only record things they see and can verify, so it can be easy for them to miss wall insulation, model numbers, and even get the right bulb type amongst the hustle and bustle of daily business processes. The best way to maximise your EPC value is by preparing this information beforehand.
What Information Does an EPC Assessor Need?
An EPC assessor dispatches a pre-visit questionnaire to start the process. This questionnaire is designed to be an in-depth and comprehensive document that will provide an EPC assessor with the majority of the information they need for an assessment. Answering this document with relevant and accurate information is a sure-fire way to maximising the value of your EPC rating. The main areas of concern in a commercial building are lighting, cooling, ventilation, and heating.
Your HVAC (Heating, Ventilation and Air Condition) Unit’s Model Number
Knowing the model number of your HVAC unit is vital to achieving a great EPC rating. One of the biggest impacts on your EPC and some companies suggest that it accounts for a massive 50% of your energy usage. Without knowing these models and providing the document the EPC assessor will use default values to calculate the amount of carbon emission you use to control the temperature in your building. By having the model numbers of your heating, air-conditioning, heat recovery and ventilation units the assessor can enter more accurate data in to the software. This will maximise your EPC rating.
Information Regarding your Commercial Lightning
An EPC assessment considers two types of lightning – general and display. General lighting is included in every area of the building for the EPC calculation whereas display lighting is used for exhibits or to highlight merchandise displays.
Having an energy efficient display lighting is important for increasing the EPC rating of retail businesses in London whether it is a retail unit, a restaurant, conference hall or museums. A business can lower the amount of carbon their lighting system uses by changing to a LED lighting system. This is a low impact, cheap solution that will also create huge saving on energy builds especially in regard to display lighting.
Having bulbs available from all lighting sockets and systems during an EPC inspection is a fantastic way to speed up the process. It will also provide them with all the information they need to enter your specific data and not the customer data.
The U-Values of Building fabrics
The U-value of building fabrics measures the flow of heat through building elements. Higher U-values mean that a greater amount of heat flows through the material and as such building material with a lower U-value provides a better EPC rating. Providing the U-value from any newly installed windows, insulation, or extensions will allow the EPC assessor to input your building specific data and not the default values.
How information Maximises Your EPC rating
Having the information available for building fabric’s U-values, the heating, and cool system, as well as display lighting, can increase your energy efficiency by 3 to 4 grades. So, providing in-depth and comprehensive data on your pre-visiting questionnaire is a great way to maximise your EPC value.
