Industry voices concerns about lack of awareness of Display Energy Certificates
The Department for Communities & Local Government (CLG) must spend more money promoting the legislation supporting energy certification if the scheme is to be a success, several industry representatives have warned. Richard Hipkiss, a carbon energy assessor and sales and marketing director of i-Prophets Energy Services, Paul Martin of ESTA’s metering and monitoring group and Stephen Matthews, chief executive of the Chartered Institution of Building Services Engineers, have all expressed concerns. They are all uneasy that many people are unaware of the legislation and, therefore, of the value of Display Energy Certificates. There is also a lack of awareness of the requirement to have air-conditioning systems over 250 kW inspected by January 2009. Richard Hipkiss says, ‘There is a large pool of people interested in being accredited. The issue is ensuring that building owners and the public in general understand the benefits of using assessors with the appropriate expertise who can deliver practical implementable recommendations to improve their building’s rating.’ Paul Martin underlines the positive impact that DECs could have if fully implemented and also believes that CLG needs to focus more on raising awareness of the legislation. Stephen Matthews says, ‘The legislation is important, and we want to ensure that this is supported by a call to action that is sensible, pragmatic and deliverable. CIBSE has recently launched training courses for DEC assessors at venues in London, Birmingham, Manchester and Leeds.
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