Commercial Building Surveys
Black Cat Building Surveys Ltd can complete domestic and commercial EPCs as well as comprehensive air conditioning inspections and TM44 reporting. We complete commercial EPC surveys and air conditioning inspections throughout the South East, delivering fast, efficient and professional results to clients large and small.
An Energy Performance Certificate is required whenever a building is built, rented or sold.
The EPC provides an energy performance rating on a scale of A to G, where A is the most energy efficient.
A commercial building requires an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) when it is sold or rented. Once completed, the certificate is valid for ten years. The energy assessment consists of examining the method of the building construction, such as cavity wall, solid brick, curtain wall etc. The level of insulation in the building, within the roof space for instance. The type of windows, lighting and, of course, the method of heating / cooling plus their relevant controls and also the method of hot water supply. As part of the method of producing an EPC for a commercial building, the property is divided into ‘zones’, whereby each zone would have a different activity within the building or it might have different lighting or heating to adjacent areas.
In order to produce a commercial energy certificate, the floor, ceiling/roof and walls of each zone, called ‘envelopes’, have to be entered individually into the software. Then each zone is linked to the relevant heating / cooling system and type of lighting. The resultant energy efficiency recommendations for the building are then tailored based on their relevance before finalising the certificate and recommendation report. This in depth data entry requirement is one reason why commercial energy certificates carry a higher price tag than domestic ones.
Air Conditioning Inspections
What do we do?
We provide Air Conditioning Energy Inspections in line with the methodology set out in CIBSE TM44:2012 direct to businesses, landlords, building owners and tenants. It is a legal requirement to have the air conditioning inspected every 5 years. Building Owners / Tenants / the person who has technical control (see terms of the lease) can be fined up to £5,000 if the building does not have a valid Air Conditioning Inspection. Buildings qualify if the total cooling capacity is 12kW or great. So if your property has four split systems, each at of 3.5kW, the total cooling is 14.0kW and the building would require an air conditioning inspection to be conducted every five years. A new air conditioning system only needs to be inspected on its 5th birthday.
Where do we do it?
We cover London, Surrey, Kent, Sussex & Hampshire. We can also call on a network of inspectors around the country and put you in direct contact with them.
Display Energy Certificates DEC
A Display Energy Certificate is required for each public building over 250m2 in floor area. We provide Display Energy Certificates direct to local governments, councils, schools, libraries and any publicly funded organisations.
About Display Energy Certificates
The purpose of introducing Display Energy Certificates (DECs) is to raise public awareness of energy use and to inform visitors to public buildings about the energy use of a building. DECs provide an energy rating of the building from A to G, where A is very efficient and G is the least efficient and are based on the actual amount of metered energy used by the building over a period of 12 months.
Example of a Display Energy Certificate and Advisory Report available upon request
A DEC and advisory report are required for buildings with a total useful floor area over 1,000m<sup>2</sup> that are occupied in whole or part by public authorities and by institutions providing public services to a large number of persons and therefore frequently visited by those persons.
Do you need a Display Energy Certificate?
Contact Us for a Display Energy Certificate quote.