The-Energy-Team

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Welcome to The-Energy-Team

Sellers and estate agents are no longer required to have Home Information Packs but EPC's are still required and they can only be produced by qualified and accredited energy assessors.

In order to ensure that people selling their property continue to make EPC's available to prospective buyers, the new government has introduced new regulations which create a number of new legal requirements on both sellers and estate agents including:

- Sellers must ensure that an EPC has been commissioned before marketing of the property commences.

- An EPC is considered 'commissioned' when an energy assessor has been instructed to prepare the EPC and the EPC has either been paid for or has been given a clear undertaking to pay for it.

- Estate agents must be satisfied that an EPC has been commissioned before commencing and marketing of the property.

- In all cases the EPC must be provided within 28 days of initial marketing of the property.

- All of the above new duties carry fixed penalty fines for both estate agents and vendors.

Our focus is on providing Energy Performance Certificates (EPCs) as quickly and efficiently as possible, while providing a friendly and reliable approach to vendors, clients and tenants.

"Our clients and their needs is the main priority of our activity. This and only this allows us to hold the client’s trust and respect.

Heating and hot water account for 84% of the total energy usage of the average home. The Energy Team would like to play a part in reducing your bills and lowering the impact on the environment.

The Energy Performance Certificate is similar to the certificates now provided with domestic appliances such as refrigerators and washing machines.

Two ratings are shown. The environmental impact rating is a measure of a home's impact on the environment in terms of carbon dioxide (C0₂) emissions - the higher the rating, the less impact it has on the environment. The energy-efficiency rating is a measure of a home's overall efficiency. The higher the rating, the more energy-efficient the home is, and the lower the fuel bills are likely to be.

Each rating is based on the performance of the building itself and its services (such as heating and lighting), rather than the domestic appliances within it. This is known as an asset rating. The certificate also lists the potential rating of the building if all the cost-effective measures were installed.

The ratings will vary according to the age, location, size and condition of the building. The potential rating on the certificate will take these factors into account, and the suggested measures will be tailored so that they are realistic for the particular building.

What will the energy assessment involve?

An energy assessment of your home will involve both an internal and external inspection of the property. For the purposes of obtaining an Energy Performance Certificate, they can only be undertaken by a fully accredited Domestic Energy Assessor (DEA) or Home Inspector.

It is advisable - for your own peace-of-mind - to ask the DEA to bring along proof of accreditation when booking the appointment.

You could also try asking for their accreditation number over the phone and check its authenticity using the Government's Register of Accredited Domestic Energy Assessors, before they even set-foot near your front door.

As part of a DEA's accreditation, a check on their Criminal Record is made with the Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) - It might be additionally comforting to know that the check (at the time of writing), is more comprehensive than those undertaken for such professions as, Gas Inspectors, for instance.

When the DEA arrives, he (or she) will need to inspect, and make note of, the following property details:

The year of property construction
Walls and roof construction
Signs of wall-cavity insulation
Energy-saving "green" devices (such as solar panels, for instance)
Number of double glazed windows and when installed
Number of open or closed fireplaces
Make and model of boiler and the type of flue and fuel used
Number of low energy light-bulbs
Type of heating system used and controls (wall thermostat etc...)
Roof insulation and thickness.
Measure the thickness of the hot water cylinder jacket or foam.
Check for excessive window area in larger houses and take measurements of conservatories and extensions.
Note the number of habitable rooms that are heated.
Measure the internal or external areas of the home.
Sketch and make notes relating to home and room layout

To view a brief video walkthrough of an energy survey please click on the link below:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ws1nB-Dt7SY

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