A commercial EPC: step by step

I am a commercial (referred to as non-domestic) energy assessor and in this blog I am going to take you through the process of how GreenAge carries out these assessments, from the time you phone us, to the point where you get your final report. For the customer it is actually a pretty simple process, but there are some things you need to be aware of with a Commercial EPC.

Step 1: Booking an assessment

The first stage is to book your EPC. When you give us a call, we will ask for your details, and detail on the property in question. Things we will ask is the size of the property, the use of the building, the type of heating system, air conditioning etc. All of this will help us come to determine a price for the work.

During the booking process we might ask you to get certain documents together for us to view on the day. This can include floor plans if available, records of the HVAC systems in place, and other details on a property by property basis.

Step 2: Site Visit

The site visit will take anywhere between half an hour to half a day, depending on the complexity and size of the site. With the larger properties there may be more than one assessor required, with a lead assessor and 1 or more data collectors to help get the job done. As a client, it is your responsibility to make sure that all areas of the property are accessible to the assessor, and that you can direct them to the various parts of the building as requested. As well as getting in to all the various rooms in the building, the surveyor will need access to: Boiler room, loft space, air conditioning and air handling units, gas, electric and any other sub-metering system, any renewable energy system, along with other ad-hoc parts of the building depending on the type of building.

If the property is a new build, we will likely be asking for documentation that various building regulations have been met, or that the building has been constructed according to the plans. It is in your interest to provide all the documentation requested, as it will drastically alter your rating on the final EPC if you fail to provide information like lighting design, insulation u-values and air permeability test results.

Step 3: Data Entry

This stage is done by the assessor in the office, where they will pull together all your documentation and the data they collected on site. The data are put into the SBEM software, which is a government software package designed to create energy certificates on commercial properties. The software is unfortunately old and clunky, and a little time consuming for the assessor, but unfortunately this is the best that is currently available.

This process can take anything from a few hours to a day or more depending on the size of the building.

Step 4: Draft Commercial EPC to the Customer

Once the data has been entered and the assessor is happy with the result, a Draft EPC is created for the customer to take a look at and ensure that the details are correct. The assessor will also provide an invoice at this stage, and GreenAge requires payment in full before finally lodging the report. Lodging a non-domestic EPC with our accreditation body costs around £40 a time, so we want to be sure everything is correct and our invoice paid before we commit to that lodgement.

The report will normally be sent to you within a few days of the site visit and providing we receive prompt payment, you will get your EPC back in quick time.

So there you go – the EPC process is pretty straightforward for you as the customer – you just need to provide us with a bit of information as we need it, and ensure that there is access for our site visit. Easy!

Getting a commercial EPC

Need a commercial EPC? We have scoured the country for the best surveyors, so that we can make sure we only recommend those we really trust.

If you would like us to find you a local surveyor, just fill in the form below and we will be in touch shortly!