DCLG announce EPBD changes in Jan 13

From DCLG website:
“Updated Energy Performance of Buildings Regulations will also be laid before the House shortly. These, in addition to consolidating the existing regulations, transpose the requirements of the recast Energy Performance of Buildings Directive 2010 and remove unnecessary ‘gold-plating’. The Directive is an EU measure designed to tackle climate change by reducing the amount of carbon produced by buildings.

The new requirements will be introduced on 9 January 2013. The key measures include a requirement for property advertisements to include details of the Energy Performance Certificate rating where available; removal of the requirement to attach the front page of the certificate to any written material; exempting listed buildings from the need to have a certificate on their sale or rent; extending the current requirement for a display energy certificate in large public buildings, to public buildings above 500m² and; introducing a requirement for a certificate to be displayed in commercial premises larger than 500m² that are frequently visited by the public and where one has been previously issued.”

This is a very disappointing statement, and the first we have been made aware of some of the proposed changes. It would appear this is a backward step by the DCLG towards its goals of becoming the greenest government ever.

It is very clearly trying to implement the very minimum regulations, which can only bode badly for compliance of EPC take up. Why the exemption of listed properties for EPCs? Perhaps the expensive property owners don’t want to admit to how inefficient their homes are?

Whilst the extension of the DEC requirements to buildings over 500m2 (from 1000m2) is well received, there are questions on the validity period these DECs will have, and perhaps not the annual validity as the current DECs have.

Not only are this government content to cut budgets, but now they are cutting useful legislation.

Full DCLG statement: https://www.gov.uk/government/speeches/changes-to-the-building-regulations

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