Voluntary Display Energy Certificates
A web site to support the full commercial release of voluntary display energy certificates (VolDECs) has been launched by the National Energy Foundation and Building Energy Solutions. Following piloting and testing with office buildings, VolDECs are now available for the non-domestic property sector.
VolDECs provide operational energy-performance ratings for non-domestic buildings. This not-for-profit scheme has been developed through a working partnership between the National Energy Foundation and Phil Jones of Building Energy Solutions; it has been piloted with Legal & General Property.
Based on the mandatory Display Energy Certificate, VolDECs are simple to understand but with enough information to really help target action to improve energy performance and drive down consumption.
VolDECs are designed to measure and highlight building energy performance in an easy and consistent way. Based on data that is easy to assemble, they are inexpensive and quick to produce.
In offices, they address issues associated with the landlord and tenant energy split and the lack of benchmarks to enable performance to be measured and compared sensibly and consistently.
Commenting on the launch of VolDECs, Phil Jones says, ‘This is a real step change for commercial buildings that don’t currently used DECs and will help engage people in dealing with the energy-performance gap.’
