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The New Year -2010
The New Year has seen weather that for a while seemed really quite nice – after all it is not every year we get snow that is that deep, you only had to look at the news reports to see and appreciate how much disruption the bad weather was causing.
It did not stop us though, where other companies failed to attend because of the bad weather we found that we were being called on to complete energy assessments and get them registered as soon as we could in order to prevent sales and leases from stalling in the due diligence process.
This really is to compliment those here at CEAUK who really pulled out all the stops to help, Pete’s old Land Rover – all too often the butt of jokes about how uncomfortable and slow it is really came into its own, the office staff who made it in and kept those of us out on surveys informed and when we returned supplied wonderfully hot cups of coffee and tea.
As I look out of the window now I see that the snow is disappearing and I never thought I’d be so happy to see rain – and the weather forecast is for more rain - so its a return to normality.
As the New Year progresses though please remember that we are hearing about how Trading Standards are now being encouraged to identify commercial properties that are being marketed without an energy performance certificate with a view to fining the property owners.
Don’t be caught out – contact CEAUK today on 0870 770 8747 or use this link
to contact us to discuss your requirements.
And finally a Happy and Prosperous New Year to all our existing clients and we look forward to continuing to working with you this year and welcoming more new clients.Labels: commercial epc, commercial property auction, commercial property energy assesment, Grade II listed commercial property energy assessors, New Year, save money on a commercial epc
How do I benefit from an EPC?
Did you know that commercial property accounts for almost 20% of the carbon emissions and energy consumption in the UK and it was for that reason that the government decided to act and introduce non domestic energy performance certificates as part of an EU Directive.
Here at CEAUK we are continually asked by landlords and agents if they need energy performance certificates and what is their benefit.
The simple answer to the first part of this question is – Yes, if you have a commercial property for sale or lease then you will need an energy performance certificate, there are exceptions, for example a stand alone building of less than 50m2 will not require an epc and there are others, telephone and ask CEAUK which buildings are exempt is the best solution if you are unsure.
The second part of the question relating to the benefit of an epc is relatively easy to answer but in these difficult times is one that landlords and property owners find hard to come to terms with as it just seems as though it is adding to their costs. The energy performance certificate once produced will provide the owner and potential purchaser with a simple colour bar chart indicating how energy efficient the property is. More importantly each energy performance certificate comes with a Recommendations Report and this is the bit that can help landlords and property owners. In fact if you are presented with an energy performance certificate without a Recommendations Report then you should ask to see the Recommendations Report.
To ascertain why the Recommendations Report is valuable you have to consider the effort that the assessor has to undertake to assess the building. It is not merely looking at the heating and lighting of the building to establish a value but the experienced assessor also has to research the building fabric itself and what improvements have been made, the assessor will need to know what happens in every part of the building as the activity has an impact on the energy consumption. It is a combination of all these factors that determine how energy efficient a building is. The danger is that by using an inexperienced, unqualified or under qualified assessor then the assessment is simply a waste of money.
The Recommendations Report will list ways that the energy performance of a building can be enhanced thus reducing on-going energy costs, making the building more attractive to potential investors, tenants and purchasers. It is truly amazing how little sometimes needs to be spent to improve the energy efficiency of a building and something as cost effective as replacing standard fluorescent tubes with more energy efficient lighting can result in some considerable savings on the running costs of a building. In certain instances we have discussed improvements with property owners prior to completing the survey to advise how they could improve the rating on the property and we find that as the Commercial EPC is valid for ten years (there are, as usual, exceptions) then this aspect is greatly appreciated by our clients.
You can contact CEAUK on 0870 770 8747 to discuss your requirements.
Labels: commercial energy performance certificates, commercial epc, commercial property energy assesment, energy efficiency, energy performance certificate, energy savings, less than 50m2
How to save money on a Commercial EPC
Since legislation was introduced requiring any commercial property that is to be marketed for lease or sale to have a valid energy performance certificate there has been much confusion. We here at CEAUK have tried to clarify the legislation and we like to think that we provide not just an excellent service but also a highly competitive one.
Recently we were asked to undertake a commercial epc on a property in Manchester and we were told that we would be competing against two other companies in terms of pricing and delivery – basically the client wanted the best price and the quickest turnaround and we decided to provide a quote.
That evening before going home I was just checking through a couple of properties that we had lodged commercial epc’s on in the week and in error I entered the address details of the property that we were about to quote on and found out something that would be of interest to the owners.
The next day we contacted the owners and their agent for this property in Manchester, a few questions about any works that had been done to the property revealed that no works had been undertaken for a number of years. We were then able to advise them a commercial epc had been undertaken and lodged on the premises some two months ago and there was actually no need for another epc.
We were about to quote £455 for this particular assessment, income now lost, on the plus side though – the landlord was impressed with our honesty and gave us another property to assess and it now looks like we are going to be his preferred agent in these matters.
It transpires that despite what we tell everyone about epc’s that there is still some confusion so if this is the case for you then please feel free to either call or e-mail us with your query or request for a quotation.
In this instance the landlord thought that because the property was withdrawn and then placed back on the market then a new epc would be required. As there had been no works done to the property in between times then no epc was required as one already existed. Why hadn't he gone back to the original epc suppliers to ask for a price? - they had charged him in excess of £650 which he thought was excessive.
By the way the other two companies that were invited to quote, according to the landlord one came in at £425 and the other at £565 but neither had picked up on the fact that an epc already existed.
We might not be the cheapest but we are the fairest. Labels: commercial energy performance certificate, commercial epc, commercial property energy assesment, save money on a commercial epc, selling or leasing commercial property
Confused? You must want a Commercial EPC then!
The legislation surrounding the introduction of commercial energy performance certificates still seems to be causing some confusion for the less experienced commercial property energy assessor and in turn this mis-information is being passed around creating more problems so lets look at some "urban myths" surrounding commercial epc's.
My property is less than 50m2 so I don’t need a commercial epc do I?
Wrong – You will need a commercial epc if the property is attached to another property, for example if it is a semi detached or terraced property.
However if your property is detached and less than 50m2 then it will not require a commercial epc – the best example of this would be one of the older petrol stations, therefore a stand alone unit less than 50m2 would not require an epc.
I have a commercial property but there is no heating in it so I don’t need a commercial epc do I?
Sorry wrong again! If there is the expectation that the unit will have conditioned space, then an EPC is required. The EPC for the shell and core work is based on the maximum design fit out spec that is used for compliance under Part L of the Building Regulations. Part L ensures building work conforms to energy performance standards and the default maximum design spec will apply the 'worst' energy rating for the building under the energy performance targets in Part L. This will ensure the recipient of an EPC is aware of the energy performance implications of installing the full suite of services. Any subsequent fit out work, including installed services, will need to comply with Part L (as in or equal to ADL2B) and the associated energy performance targets.
OK so I need a commercial epc but my tenant will fit their own heating once they move in and as I have a commercial epc then they won’t need one will they?
Any services installed will still need to comply with Building Regulations. To comply with Building Regulations any services installed must meet energy efficiency requirements. Therefore the original EPC is still valid (subject to the EPC being less than 10 years old).
Here at CEAUK we are in regular contact with the relevant government bodies and advisory services relating to commercial property energy performance certificates or non domestic energy performance certificates as they are sometimes known. In this way we are certain that the information we pass on is relevant and upto date. All of our assessors are advised on any changes, they are all qualified - we do not use data gatherers, and we all undergo regular training and update sessions.
The fact that this is a relatively new industry does mean that as it evolves there will be individual interpretations on the legislation where it is vague. The problem for you is deciding which is fact and which is fiction and if you take the wrong advice it could cost you more
You could save yourself a lot of time, trouble and money by contacting CEAUK for advice and a quote either using the links here on this web site or by telephoning 0870 770 8747.
Labels: commercial epc, commercial property energy assesment, energy efficiency, less than 50m2, non domestic epc, offices, Part L Building Regs
People have been asking about the types of properites that require a commercial epc and basically its any commercial property over 50m2 that has a commercial use and below we have some recent examples of the type of property we have been assessing ....... From public houses................................. to high street shops.......................... and industrial units - small ......................... and large............................... from village stores.......... to part listed buildings ....... What all these buildings have in common is that the owners required a professional, accomplished and accurate commercial property energy assessment of their premises and they knew that in CPEA they would receive just that - and this is why we are preferred by more and more landlords, solicitors, pension fund managers and agents as a company that provides its clients with a cost effective commercial property energy assessment. Contact us by telephone on 0870 770 8747 or by e-mail survey@ceauk.co.ukLabels: commercial property energy assesment, distribution centre, offices, pubs, warehouse
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