Compliance
& Accreditation
Display Energy Certificates (DEC)
These are an operational energy rating that identifies the actual energy use of a building and compares this against the energy use for a benchmark building of the same type. The operational rating is a numerical indicator of the actual annual carbon dioxide emissions from the building. DEC is currently compulsory for public sector and optional for private sector organisations.
Energy Performance Certificates (EPC)
These are required by all domestic and commercial buildings in the UK that are available to buy or rent.
Energy Savings Opportunity Scheme (ESOS)
Large organisations in the UK are required to undertake comprehensive assessments of their energy use and efficiency opportunities at least once every four years. The criteria for inclusion to ESOS applies to any large undertaking that carries out a trade or a business (most commonly a Company), and any corporate group where at least one member of the UK group meets the ESOS criteria.
A large undertaking is one that employs at least 250 people or has an annual turnover in excess of €50 million and a balance sheet in excess of €43 million. Most public sector bodies are excluded, but other organisations that receive some public funding, such as universities, may qualify.
The current regulations require large UK organisations to take three important steps before the compliance date of 5th December 2019:
- Measure total energy consumption for buildings, industrial processes and transport.
- Conduct audits to identify cost-effective energy efficiency recommendations for areas of significant energy consumption.
- Report compliance to their national scheme administrator – the Environment Agency in England, SEPA in Scotland, NIEA in Northern Ireland and NRW in Wales.
To comply with the regulations, a Lead Energy Assessor will need to conduct the ESOS Assessment. If an organisation has ISO 50001, they are already compliant through ISO 50001 and just need to submit the evidence via a Lead Assessor.
Surveys & Audits
Air–conditioning Inspections (ACI)
Since January 4th, 2011, any organisation in the UK with air conditioning systems that have a cooling capacity over 12kW has a legal obligation under Article 9 of the Energy Performance of Buildings Certificates and Inspections Regulations 2007 to carry out an independent energy inspection and assessment of their system.
The legislation was introduced by the Department of Communities and Local Government. TM44 Air Conditioning (AC) Inspections identify ways in which the energy consumption of existing air conditioning systems can be reduced. TM44 was originally published in 2007 but was updated and revised in 2012.
The Inspection is intended for all types of ‘comfort cooling’ (cooling for the comfort of human occupants), but it is also appropriate for air conditioning systems for some other purposes, e.g. Server Rooms. It is not intended to cover dedicated process cooling systems or systems that serve chilled distribution warehouses, or production and manufacturing facilities. Where systems provide air conditioning for both process and comfort cooling, only that part which provides comfort cooling will be inspected.
It is important to note that central air handling plant, cooling towers, chillers, condensers and coolers, local heat recovery ventilation units, and their controls are also included in the inspection report.
In the UK, the air conditioning system in a building also includes groups of units that are individually of less than 12kW cooling capacity but have a combined cooling capacity greater than 12kW. For regulatory purposes the cooling capacity of an AC system is defined as the ‘sum of all the individual cooling units under the control of one building owner or operator’.
Renewables & Heat Recovery
Energy & Carbon Management
The use of technology to improve the energy performance of an organisation. To be fully effective it needs to be an integral part of an organisation's wider management processes - and any Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) policy.
The management of energy is often neglected, even though there is considerable potential to save energy and reduce costs. Rising energy prices, climate change legislation and the need to be environmentally responsible all require effective energy management.
Renewables & Onsite Generation
Solar Thermal, PV, Anaerobic, Biomass, CHP Metering and monitoring (recording of energy data).