Energy Performance Certificates for business properties

When a building is physically complete, the builder must:

• Arrange for an accredited energy assessor to carry out an energy performance assessment and produce both an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) and a recommendation report for it.
• Give the EPC to the building's new owner within five days of completion.
• Notify your local council's building control officers. Building control will not issue a final completion certificate for new buildings or refurbishment projects requiring building regulation consent until they are satisfied that the EPC has been properly produced and presented to the relevant party.

Building regulations include standards for the energy performance of new buildings which builders must adhere to in order to be compliant.

The same EPC responsibilities also apply when a builder completes a renovation or refurbishment that converts a building into more or fewer units than there were previously and, as part of that work, provides or extends any fixed services for heating, hot water, air conditioning or mechanical ventilation services provided in the building.

However, modifications to electric lighting do not trigger the need for an EPC.