St Martins Property is a property-development and investment company and owns the Cottons Centre on the south bank of the River Thames in London.
The EPC helps to make St Martins one of the best-prepared commercial landlords in the country and ready for new legislation which requires owners of commercial buildings to make an energy assessment available to prospective purchasers or tenants. Since 6 April, buildings over 10 000 m2 have required certificates, with smaller buildings needing them later this year. It is estimated that 100 000 EPCs will be needed in the first year.
Richard Ratcliffe said, ‘We are delighted to receive one of the first EPCs from CIBSE. St Martins is committed to sustainable development. Receiving a C grade for the Cottons Centre, a building more than 20 years old, reflects the work we have undertaken to enhance the centre.’
John Armstrong, president of CIBSE, explains, ‘EPCs will make great energy-efficient building design visible, and Display Energy Certificates will do the same for energy-efficient building operation. They will highlight the importance of the job being done by low-carbon specialists in reducing carbon emissions from buildings.
‘CIBSE’s Low Carbon Energy Assessors can go further than simply providing a Building Energy Certificate;. They can help commercial landlords and building occupiers to more than just count carbon, they can help control it.
‘By highlighting the contribution these experts can make, the arrival of EPCs presents an ideal opportunity to demonstrate to the next generation that becoming a low-carbon designer or energy manager are highly worthwhile professions.’
Keywords: CIBSE Energy Assessor, EPC
