EPC applicable to commercial?

[Markc]

Just so I can get this in my head......

Are we saying the proposal is, buildings that normally would be excluded from having any need for a EPC under the standard terminology will need one of D or higher solely for the installation of PV?

What if the use of the building being fitted with PV has no measures of energy use?

Example. Open barn building, no walls just roof for storage of straw. No electrical use to that building at all, not even a light. The array and inverter fitted to that building. The generated energy going to a neighbouring detached grain dryer building that has the incoming supply as well as feeding further neighbouring detached grain stores, mill and workshop. No residential use at all.

What building needs the D? The grain dryer? If so that building is metal sheet building with asbestos cement roof and zero insulation.

This is going to be a nightmare.

 

[SolarCity]

Absolutely. And when do you go through the process of finding out? Before you quote? Or after you win the tender?

From April 1st, the tendering process is going to be an utter nightmare, riddled with wasted time.

 

[mdovey]

Are we saying the proposal is, buildings that normally would be excluded from having any need for a EPC under the standard terminology will need one of D or higher solely for the installation of PV?

As TedM has pointed out the EPC of rate D applies to "for any building that meets the definition of building set out in the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (it is important to note that this includes buildings which are not currently required under that Directive to have an EPC when sold, let or built)"

The definition of building in the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive is "a roofed construction having walls, for which energy is used to condition the indoor climate; a building may refer to the building as a whole or parts thereof that have been designed or altered to be used separately;"

So basically anything which has a roof and walls and which uses energy to control the internal "climate" needs to have an EPC rating of D for the purposes of FITs.

 

[TedM]

Anyone planning to install PV after April 1st should get an EPC asap.

I'm waiting for a reply from DECC on how the EPC exemptions are to be handled. I imagine they will tell OFGEM what the process is which will then drip down to the electricity companies who will have to administer this. My suggestion to them is that a couple of letters from two separate DEAs, saying that the building cannot be covered by an EPC, should be enough.

How the situation, where electricity from one PV array may be shared across multiple buildings, is handled is not yet clear.

For 'normal' dwellings the installation of 3kW, or more, of PV alone is generally enough to take a band 'E' house into band 'D'. But that's not guaranteed as EPC scores depend on so many different variables. But a DEA should be able to model both the house 'as is' and the same house with xkW PV and tell you what the bands will be quite easily.