Since 9th July 2015 a DEC is required by any building that provides a service to the public and is over 250m2. The legislation also applies to any entity receiving funding/support from the Government as well as public bodies with a total useful floor area over 250m2.
What is a Display Energy Certificate?
A Display Energy Certificate (DEC) shows the energy performance of a building based on actual energy consumption recorded over the last 12 months. It compares the actual energy use against the energy use for a benchmark building of the same type. Similar to a domestic Building Energy Rating (BER), DECs are displayed on a scale from A to G, with an A rating being the most efficient and a G rating being the least efficient.
When is a DEC Required?
Since 2015, any building with a floor area greater than 250m2 which is frequently visited by the public is required to display a DEC in a prominent, public place. Additionally, public bodies may wish to provide their DEC via a website or other publicly accessible media. The requirement of a DEC for public buildings aims to encourage more environmentally considerate decisions in relation to energy use, overall efficiency and carbon emissions.
Difference Between DEC’s and BER’s
A Building Energy Rating (BER) can be used for domestic and non domestic purposes. In contrast to the DEC, the BER is an indication of the predicted energy performance of a building (also known as an asset rating of a building). It does not take into account the energy consumption of the building but is an indication of how well the building should perform. The DEC however is based on actual energy consumption of the building.
How is a DEC Produced?
To produce a DEC, our Public Building Energy Assessor will have to survey your building. The first step of the assessment involves the recording and analysis of your energy bills of the previous year. Starting with a general external appraisal of the building, the Assessor will then walk through the building with the relevant staff member to discuss any outstanding issues affecting energy use. The building area is measured and the walkthrough audit identifies specific observations in terms of boiler type, space heating, water heating, heating controls, lighting, ventilation and window type. All information gathered during the audit is then compiled to generate the DEC.
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