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EPB:  Energy Assessors

Energy Assessments and the production of Energy Performance Certificates

To find an assessor in your area, or to check the validity of an Energy Performance Certificate, please visit the Register at:
www.niepcregister.com
Both the domestic and non-domestic registers may be accessed from this page; however, each register may be accessed independently -
For details of available training courses and approved qualifications please see:
www.abbeqa.co.uk/  (Awarding Body for the Built Environment)
www.cityandguilds.com/cps/rde/xchg/cgonline  (City and Guilds) and
www.nfopp.co.uk (National Federation of Property Professionals).
The only person who is able to produce an Energy Performance Certificate is an accredited energy assessor. To safeguard consumers energy assessors must be accredited. Accreditation schemes ensure energy assessors are competent and possess the appropriate skills to conduct these assessments. An individual is required to either have a recognised qualification from an awarding body or approved prior experience and learning equivalent to the National Occupational Standard requirements.
The energy assessor is responsible for carrying out an energy assessment on your building with reasonable care and skill and for producing an EPC and recommendation report following the assessment. S/he is also responsible for entering the certificate onto the national register before giving it to the person who commissioned it.
The energy assessor must use the latest version of the approved calculation methods software to produce the EPC and recommendation report.

Energy assessor qualification and accreditation

To protect consumers, certificates must only be produced by individuals with an approved qualification or competence. Accredited energy assessors must be suitably qualified or competent to produce these assessments. 'Suitably qualified' refers to an individual having either a qualification or approved prior experience and learning equivalent to the National Occupational Standard requirements relevant to the specific occupation for which the individual seeks accreditation.
Energy assessors will be responsible for carrying out key tasks related to the new energy efficiency measures. This will include producing certificates and inspecting air conditioning systems.
While a number of organisations currently offer energy assessment services, EPCs and DECs may only be produced by an accredited energy assessor.

What qualifications are required?

An energy assessor will need to have both appropriate qualifications or competence, and accreditation:
  • energy assessor qualification. energy assessors should hold a current qualification in energy inspection. This forms part of a National Occupational Standard in Energy Inspection and will demonstrate technical competence to produce a certificate. The qualification has been approved by the Qualifications and Curriculum Agency. Qualification bodies have developed assessment procedures that align with the National Occupational Standard.
  • energy assessor accreditation. Accreditation is the management arrangement that provides reassurance that someone who has the relevant technical experience is permitted to produce a certificate on an ongoing basis. To be an energy assessor an individual must be a member of an Accreditation scheme. Membership of such a scheme will only last as long as an individual satisfies the accreditation requirements.

Qualification scope

Qualifications awarded may cover specific areas of energy inspection (for example, the use of some, but not all, of the standard methodologies for assessing energy performance, or the use of a particular methodology in certain types of building but not other types).The energy assessor may only conduct inspections in areas covered by their current qualification and accreditation system.
Qualifications awarded may be limited in further ways (for example, the qualification may only remain valid for a certain number of years, or may require the energy assessor to be supervised in some way during a probationary period). The energy assessor will only be able to conduct inspections in accordance with these limitations.

Approved accreditation schemes

The following accreditation schemes have been approved by the Department for the purpose stated:
Energy Performance Certificates for existing dwellings
NES - www.nher.co.uk
BRE - www.bre.co.uk/accreditation
Elmhurst – www.elmhurstenergy.co.uk
Northgate - www.northgate-ispublicservices.com
Stroma - www.stroma.com
RICS - www.rics.org
ECMK Ltd - www.ecmk.co.uk
Quidos - www.quidos.co.uk
Heating and Ventilation Certificated Associates - www.hicertification.co.uk
New build:
NES - www.nher.co.uk
BRE - www.bre.co.uk/accreditation
CIBSE - www.cibse.org
Elmhurst - www.elmhurstenergy.co.uk
Northgate - www.northgate-ispublicservices.com
Stroma - www.stroma.com
RICS - www.rics.org
Knauf - www.knauf.co.uk
CIAT - www.ciat.org.uk
ECMK Ltd - www.ecmk.co.uk
Quidos - www.quidos.co.uk
NAPIT - www.napit.org.uk
Heating and Ventilation Certificated Associates www.hicertification.co.uk
Energy Performance Certificates for commercial buildings:
NES - www.nher.co.uk
BRE - www.bre.co.uk/accreditation
CIBSE - www.cibse.org
Elmhurst - www.elmhurstenergy.co.uk
Northgate - www.northgate-ispublicservices.com
Stroma - www.stroma.com
RICS - www.rics.org
ECMK Ltd - www.ecmk.co.uk
Quidos - www.quidos.co.uk
BESCA - www.besca.org.uk
NAPIT - www.napit.org.uk
Heating and Ventilation Certificated Associates www.hicertification.co.uk
Display Energy Certificates
NES - www.nher.co.uk
BRE - www.bre.co.uk/accreditation
CIBSE - www.cibse.org
Elmhurst - www.elmhurstenergy.co.uk
Northgate - www.northgate-ispublicservices.com
Stroma - www.stroma.com
RICS - www.rics.org
ECMK Ltd - www.ecmk.co.uk
Quidos - www.quidos.co.uk
BESCA - www.besca.org.uk
NAPIT - www.napit.org.uk
Heating and Ventilation Certificated Associates - www.hicertification.co.uk
Air Conditioning
CIBSE - www.cibse.org
RICS - www.rics.org
ECMK Ltd - www.ecmk.co.uk
Quidos - www.quidos.co.uk
BESCA - www.besca.org.uk
NAPIT - www.napit.org.uk
Heating and Ventilation Certificated Associates - www.hicertification.co.uk

For further information see:

www.communities.gov.uk/planningandbuilding/theenvironment/energyperformance/energyassessment/accreditation/