A Display Energy Certificate (DEC) shows the energy performance of a building based on actual annual energy consumption. An Operational Rating is shown on an A to G scale where A is the lowest CO2 emissions(best) and G is the highest CO2 emissions (worst).
The DEC will have to be put on display in a prominent place to enable members of the public to view the document easily and should be no smaller than A3 in size. A DEC must be accompanied by an Advisory Report and the building owner must possess a valid one of each.
Display Energy Certificates (DECs) are being introduced to raise public awareness of energy use and inform visitors to a public building about the energy use of that building. DECs provide an energy rating of the building from A to G, where A is very efficient and G is the least efficient and are based on the actual amount of metered energy used by the building over a period of 12 months.
A DEC and advisory report are required for buildings with a total useful floor area over 1,000m2 that are occupied in whole or part by public authorities or by institutions providing public services to a large number of persons frequently visited by those persons.
The DEC for an affected building must be on display by 1 October 2008 and the advisory report must also be available at this time. However, if the building has been occupied for less than 15 months on 1 October 2008 a DEC will be required once it has been occupied for 15 months or by 4 January 2009, whichever is sooner.
The occupier, in collaboration with the energy assessor, needs to gather the information about the building. The occupier will need to provide meter readings for the assessment period for each of the fuel types used on site. If these are not available the property may have to be assessed with an automatic G rating.
The energy assessor will generally have to undertake a site survey to gather information about the building such as its construction type, heating systems and comfort cooling methods.
Q.5 How long is the Display Energy Certificate and associated Advisory Report valid for?
A DEC is valid for one year and must be updated annually although the Advisory Report is valid for 7 years. Affected buildings must have both a valid DEC and Advisory Report.
No... There is no obligation to act on the recommendations for energy improvements to the building. However, taking action on the recommendations is likely to improve the energy efficiency of the building, reduce fuel bills, cut carbon emissions and potentially improve public perception of the building.
FastQuote
The introduction of Display Energy Certificates (DECs) form part of the implementation in England and Wales of the European Directive 2002/91/EC on the Energy Performance of Buildings.