Who needs a Display Energy Certificate? Display Energy Certificates (DEC) are a legal requirement for any building that is occupied in whole or in part by a public authority, is frequently visited by members of the public and has a floor area of over 250m2.
The DEC certificate must be displayed in a publicly visible place, usually the reception area, and must be printed to size A3. Companies operating in any type of commercial property may opt to have a voluntary DEC survey carried out with a view to using it as a tool for managing their energy efficiency.
Property owners in Scotland with any commercial building 1000m2 or larger are legally required to have a Section 63 survey and action plan in addition to their EPC when selling or renting. Increasingly, they are opting to have an annual DEC carried out in place of making the improvements on their action plans.
Read more about Section 63 surveys and action plans here.
A DEC survey is also an approved method of assessing buildings for the Government’s Energy Savings Opportunities Scheme (ESOS).
Public buildings over 1000m2 are required to renew their DEC certificate annually. The recommendation report is valid for 7 years. DECs issues against public buildings under 1000m2 are valid for 10 years. The recommendation report is also valid for 7 years. Scottish property owners who opt for a DEC as a result of their Section 63 survey will be required to provide an annual DEC until they make the improvements on the Section 63 action plan.
What does the survey involve?
The assessor will require the GIA (gross internal area) of the property, 12 months of consecutive energy bills (gas and electricity if applicable, with meter readings) and a floor plan of the property before they can attend site. During the survey, the assessor will need to have access to any boiler/plant rooms. It’s useful to have a facilities or business manager available during the survey as a short survey about occupancy and the heating controls will need to be carried out on site. Following the site survey, the data will be collated at the desk and the DEC and recommendation report will be produced in government approved software.
How many DECs do I require?
Some sites may require more than one DEC. For example, a secondary school may have a main building, a sports hall, a language block and a music hall. If any of these buildings are over 250m2 they will each require a DEC. It is important to provide the GIA , energy bills and floor plans for each building needing a survey.
What is an asset rated DEC?
In some cases, 12 months of consecutive energy bills are not available to the assessor. This may be because the occupiers have been leasing the property for less than 12 months, or it is a new build property. In these circumstances an asset rated DEC can be provided until 12 months of bills are available. To complete this, the assessor will be required to complete a Commercial EPCand use the energy rating from this in place of the bill data.