Collecting the information required for an EPC

Once the energy assessor has been commissioned to produce an EPC, there are 3 main steps to performing the assessment. These are:

• gathering the relevant information about the building
• analyzing the information and identifying different zones of the building
• entering the information into an approved software programme. The appropriate methods for commercial buildings are simplified building energy model or dynamic simulation model

The energy assessor will need to understand the internal layout of the building and for what purposes it is designed to be used. This is to understand the energy demands of each individual space (zone) in accordance with its designed use.

The information that will be required to produce an EPC includes:

• analysing the information and identifying different zones of the building and their dimensions (either as verified from plans or as measured). This information may be readily provided from building plans
• the activities conducted within the zones, e.g. retail space, office space, kitchens, storage etc
• the heating and ventilation services for each zone, including type of system, metering, controls, fuel used, etc.
• the lighting and controls used for each zone
• the construction of the fabric of the building and thermal efficiency of the materials used: roof, floors, walls and glazing

If there are no plans for a building, the energy assessor will need to survey the building and gather the appropriate information. If you have up to date information and plans for your building this process will be less time consuming. The energy assessor is responsible for ensuring the information used in the energy calculations is accurate and, even where detailed plans are available for existing buildings must validate this information by making a site inspection.