Government has decided that to be an energy assessor you must be a member of an accredited scheme. The Scheme run by CIBSE Certification Ltd. was approved by the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government on 10th January 2008. To become an accredited energy assessor you will need to complete all aspects of the registration process...full details here
The Energy Performance of Buildings Regulations (2007) introduce requirements for non-domestic buildings to have energy certificates. For non-domestic buildings there are two kinds of certificate: Energy Performance Certificates (EPCs) for construction, sale or rental, and Display Energy Certificates (DECs) for public display in buildings over 1,000m2 owned by public authorities or which are occupied by organisations which provide a service to the public.
The Government has decided that accredited assessors must be 'suitably qualified' or competent to produce energy assessments. 'Suitably qualified' refers to an individual having either a qualification or accredited prior experiential learning (APEL) equivalent to the requirements of the relevant National Occupational Standards. Additional consumer protection measures are required for Energy Assessors who visit private dwellings.
CIBSE Certification Ltd. operates one of the first approved Energy Assessor schemes for non domestic buildings. It is our goal to enable Low Carbon Consultants to become accredited Energy Assessors, after some top-up training in the use of the approved software for producing certificates and in the administrative and practical details of preparing certificates and reports. We can also provide training and accreditation for suitable individuals who are not yet Low Carbon Consultants.
Low Carbon Consultants (Design) will be able to produce EPCs for buildings on construction, sale or rent and Low Carbon Consultants (Operation) will be able to produce DECs. In all cases approved software must be used.
CIBSE intends to add modules for those LCCs who are working on residential or mixed use developments to be able to produce domestic energy assessment certificates using approved SAP software as part of a wider portfolio of services. Please note that this scheme is not intended for individuals wishing to be domestic energy assessors only.
As the appropriate arrangements are finalised with all relevant parties, we will be keeping Low Carbon Consultants and CIBSE members informed of progress.
If you want to be a Low Carbon Energy Assessor producing EPCs you have to demonstrate your ability to produce a certificate using the approved software. The best way to do this is to join either the Simulation or Calculation strand of the LCC register.
Production of the EPC can be undertaken using SBEM or any approved package which implements SBEM, or by approved Dynamic Simulation Modelling (DSM) packages. Dynamic thermal modelling (simulation) is used for complex buildings or for buildings with certain special features that are not covered by SBEM. Those using DSM will be accredited as Energy Assessors at Level 5, those using SBEM or its interfaces will be on the Calculations Register and accredited at Level 3 or 4. All of the major simulation software providers are participating in the CIBSE scheme.
To produce Display Energy Certificates (DECs) separate software is required, and you do not need to be trained in the use of SBEM or DSM. We are awaiting the software to produce DECs from the government. Once this is available CIBSE will provide training and examination for the production of DECs.
If you are already an accredited energy assessor for non-domestic buildings through CIBSE Certification we will accredit you for dwellings provided you are trained to use SAP (and rdSAP - reduced data SAP for rental dwellings). Training in the underlying theory of SAP will be available from CIBSE Professional Learning by the summer.
The commercial and non-domestic sector is very varied, and there is a wide range of such buildings that will require Energy Performance Certificates (EPCs). There are three levels of Energy Assessor, reflecting the variety and complexity of the stock.
To demonstrate your competence in the use of either SBEM or DSM, you must have been assessed in its use. This assessment will include the production of one EPC under exam conditions. Assessment and suitable training are available from all the software providers.
If your training is up to date and you are familiar with the latest versions of the software which have an EPC as one of their outputs you may be able to go forward for assessment without further training. Training is not a requirement of joining the register, as long as you can pass the appropriate assessment for the software package you use.
If you wish to use the free iSBEM software you can be trained either by BRE, or via one of CIBSE's training partners such as Wensley & Laws. If you wish to join the LCC or LCEA registers, you must have been examined as well as trained. BRE has separate prices for their training and assessment, so if you have already been trained by BRE and do not need training in the new version of SBEM, Wensley & Laws can provide an examination for you.
CIBSE asks all LCCs to monitor carbon savings from projects and produce annual returns for two reasons. It encourages LCCs to think about the impact of their work in carbon terms, and it also enables CIBSE to assess the impact of the scheme. This is important when considering proposals to reduce carbon emissions, because the Institution is then better able to judge what is realistic for those already following the practices which LCCs are trained to adopt. Find out how to make your return for the period September 2006 to September 2007.
When you provide a carbon return you are also automatically entered for the Low Carbon Performance Awards. These awards are designed to draw the attention of clients to what is being achieved by Low Carbon Consultants and Low Carbon Energy Assessors in terms of carbon savings and to highlight the contribution they make. In the launch year the awards were attended by over 800 people and received a good deal of publicity. The Low Carbon Performance Awards are designed to offer you an opportunity to be recognized for your achievements.
It is a requirement for all professional members of CIBSE or any other professional body to undertake CPD. Low Carbon Consultants, as specialists in low carbon issues, should be undertaking at least some of their CPD in that area of activity. It is also a requirement of accredited Schemes for Energy Assessors that they check that all registered Energy Assessors carry out regular and appropriate CPD.
The Low Carbon Consultants Scheme was established to provide a basis for a Competent Persons Scheme for Part L compliance checks, and also to provide potential Energy Assessors to implement building energy certificates. However, it was made clear from the outset that these arrangements depended on the outcome of detailed discussions with the Department of Communities and Local Government (DCLG).
We believe that overall costs of registration and training through CIBSE are very reasonable. The way the National Occupational Standards have been drafted means that it will be necessary for Energy Assessors to be competent in all the skills necessary to produce an Energy Certificate, even where they do not actually carry out the activities themselves on a day to day basis.
Those that have trained and joined the LCC register already satisfy many of the requirements for Energy Assessors. Every effort is being made to keep the additional costs low, especially for existing LCCs.
We require PII details because it is a statutory condition of accreditation as an Energy Assessor. The Low Carbon Consultants Scheme requires adherence to a code of conduct, the passing of an exam and evidence of adequate insurance for the work done. We ask for a copy of the company's Professional Indemnity Insurance certificate or your own if you are insured individually. This certificate is not passed on or accessible to any third party.
This is a matter for you to decide with your broker in the light of the type of work you do. We suggest you contact your broker to review your insurance before undertaking work as an Energy Assessor. At the moment we are not asking for any extra cover. We simply wish to be able to assure clients and others who use registered LCCs that they are insured.
In the future there should be case law to indicate the level of extra cover (if any) that professionals working as energy assessors will need. This will happen:
Or:
In that case you should provide a written statement of this and we will simply make a note of this fact. If your circumstances change you must let us know, as it could affect the validity of your accreditation.
If an LCC only works for their employer then the employer carries the risk. However, this will need to be confirmed and recorded on the register as a requirement of DCLG.
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