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yorkshiremike

Effective yesterday (9/1/13) DCLG (Dept for Communities and Local Government), officially exempted a range of buildings from needing an EPC:

Not sure if I can post a link - search for: "A guide to energy performance certificates for the construction, sale and let of dwellings", relevant bit is page 7:
Additionally, in line with the removal of unnecessary gold-plating, from 9 January 2013,
the following types of buildings will not require an EPC:
•
buildings and monuments officially protected as part of a designated
environment or because of special architectural or historic merit in so far as
compliance with certain energy efficiency requirements would
unacceptably alter character or appearance
•
buildings used as places of worship and for religious activities
•
temporary buildings with a planned time of use of two years or less
•
residential buildings which are intended to be used less than four months
of the year
stand-alone buildings with a total useful floor area of less than 50m2

The certification scheme we use, has assumed that this applies to listed buildings, so now can't issue an EPC for a Grade II listed. However it doesn't look like DECC have adopted the same rules? So still need an EPC for a listed building if planning on getting full Fit?


Reason I'm asking is I've just completed an EPC survey on a farm house that English Heritage have allowed to be extensively renovated (internal wall insulation, new windows, air source heat pump etc), so it has some chance of making a D, but can't lodge the EPC, whereas the EPC is still need for the PV (planned for an adjacent outbuilding). Or is there a method for saying it is exempt?

Thanks
 
I got excited then realised this doesnt apply to DECCs EPC policy regarding these buildings. So I'll pipe down until DECC remove the EPC requirement for listed buildings, churches and hard to treat buildings that cant meet the EPC requirements
 
Hmm then maybe if an epc cant be produced then it could fall under the relevanr building and therefore an epc of d is not required. We have quoted for a ground mount/tracker pv system for a grade 2 listed building but it couldnt get an epc of d no matter what we put into epc software.

we'll see how this one develops...
 
Looks like a great example of two government departments not talking to one another.

Mike, when you say you cannot lodge an EPC for a GII building do you mean that the registration software has already been updated to prevent this? Can you still generate an EPC rating without a certificate? If your EPC software has already been updated to prevent a rating being produced then that would sound like grounds for saying to OFGEM that it is not possible to generate an EPC and so a 'D' would not be required.
 
Hmm then maybe if an epc cant be produced then it could fall under the relevanr building and therefore an epc of d is not required. We have quoted for a ground mount/tracker pv system for a grade 2 listed building but it couldnt get an epc of d no matter what we put into epc software.

we'll see how this one develops...

Off Topic
Where are you buying the tracker from,if you dont mind telling me,have customer interested in having one. Wants 10kw on it
 
Off Topic
Where are you buying the tracker from,if you dont mind telling me,have customer interested in having one. Wants 10kw on it
wind and sun.

if it's 3 phase, I'd think you'll end up wanting to do 3 x 16 panel systems for a total 12kWp with individual single phase inverters per tracker, or just 2 x trackers with 270Wp panels eg Yingli, and a 3 phase inverter with dual MPPT.

I'm not aware of anyone doing 20 panel / 5kWp trackets in the UK.
 
In answer to TedM's question - The sofware doesn't currently stop you generating the EPC, it is just the instructions from our certification scheme, but they're just trying to prevent EPCs being 'mis-sold' to customers who want to sell or rent their grade II houses. I assume they'll remove the 'block', when they realise there is still a need for EPCs for the higher FiT.
This is the first GII building (large farm house, no mains gas), that I've come across that can achieve a D. The owners have worked with the conservators to recue the building and have been able to make a lot of improvements - wall insulation where it didn't impact the appearance, hand made hardwood double glazed windows, solar thermal on adjacent diary building, air source heat pump etc).
 

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