What Is The Procedure For The Production Of The Energy Performance Certificate In Belfast, Northern Ireland?

The production of Energy Performance Certificates is done by certified persons called “Domestic Energy Assessors” (DEAs). There are two steps entailed in getting an Energy Performance Certificate in Belfast. The first step is a site survey done in the client’s house by the assessor. The second steep is the work done by the DEA which involves data entry into a software to get the certificate ready.

Visiting the house

The site survey begins with the assessment of the house’s external parts. The surveyor takes snapshots of the house’s exterior to show the structure. An important detail the surveyor would want to show is if the house is a flat, a mid-terrace house, detached or semi-detached. To do this, the front elevation of the house would have to be photographed by the surveyor.

Afterwards, the back of the house would be assessed by the assessor and pictures taken of its rear elevation. If the house has an oil boiler in its back garden, pictures will be taken by the assessor to show the brand and model of the boiler. The oil tank will also be photographed.

Inside the house, the heating programmer, thermostatic radiator valves, radiators and the wall thermostat would be photographed for proof and recordkeeping. If a gas system is installed instead of an oil heating system, the DEA would take pictures of the gas boiler and also make a record of the brand and model.

If there is a roof space, the loft insulation and its depth will be photographed by the EPC surveyor. The width of the wall as well as the type of structure, be it a brick, timber frame or stone wall, will be assessed and recorded by the surveyor. The insulation used for the wall would be noted too. It may be an internal or a cavity insulation type.

The assessor will take pictures of the window glazing, taking note of its thickness and the type of frame used for the window, be it PVC or timber. Lastly, the lights in the rooms would be checked and the assessor would get the number of low energy bulbs in the house.

Inputting the data in the software

The second step in getting an EPC is for the assessor to take all the data collected during the site survey and input it into a computer software. DEAs do not have their own software. They all access the RdSAP software in the cloud. The assessor will enter all the information they have gathered from the house survey through a user-interface system into the software. This is how the Energy Performance Certificate (EPC).

The energy efficiency of the property is rated on a scale of 0 to 100 by the EPC. If the rate is low, it implies that the energy performance is low. The EPC is usually in electronic format and is kept in the EPC record of Northern Ireland which stands as the nation’s database for Energy Performance Certificates. The certificates expire after a period of 10 years.