What is an Energy Certificate?

An energy survey will be carried out by a qualified Energy Assessor who will look at and assess several aspect of the house and it's systems with the purpose of providing the householder with an energy certificate for the house, which give advice on ways to improve the house's energy efficiency and environmental impact. When carrying out Energy Surveys the inspection will include:

1. Type of construction and it energy impact.
2. Amount of insulation present
3. Windows and doors
4. Air tightness
5. Heating and ventilation systems

The surveyor will use a new and sophisticated computer system which operates what is known as RdSAP (Reduced Data Standard Assessment Procedure) to consider each aspect of his inspection and arrive at a SAP rating value for each.

The resulting certificate will give the house an energy rating and an Environmental Impact Rating from A to G. A being highly efficient with regards to energy efficiency and carbon emissions and G being poor.

This is done by awarding SAP points for many aspect of the house such as:

• Type of house or flat
• Number of storeys
• Number of habitable rooms
• The date of build of the house and any extensions
• The property dimensions and room heights
• Any conservatories or shelter factors such as heated corridors for flats
• The wall construction and any insulation present
• The roof construction and any insulation
• Windows and doors and whether double or single glazed
• Number of open fireplaces
• The presence of low energy lighting
• Renewable energy sources such as solar heating or photovoltaic cells
• Space and water heating and controls
• Type of fuel used for space and water heating

The energy survey certificate will also reveal the current average costs for heating, hot water and lighting of the home. The certificate will also provide advice on how to improve the energy efficiency of the home, which might include:

1. Better insulation
2. Improved windows and doors
3. Improved heating systems
4. The possible use of new systems such as solar panels etc.