A candid blog on the world of Energy Performance Certificates
EPCs: Google Sketch it up with IES
Integrated Environmental Solutions last week unveiled a new plug-in for Google's free software called, SketchUp, to help in the creation of non-domestic Energy Performance Certificates. It plans to expand the technology into he domestic sector soon. Is this the future of EPC technology?
Tags: commercial-epc, technology
Update: EPC Transition Arrangements Enacted April 2008
New transitionary arrangements quietly came into force back in April 2008 which trigger a duty to commission an Energy Performance Certificate when contracts are entered into on properties marketed before the HIP commencement dates began last year. Could it mean some homesellers have sold illegally?
EPC and HIPs Newsround
Loads of news to catch up on: Eland House scores a F DEC; CLG publish tenant's guide; HIPs expedite homebuying but the jury is out on how long; looming threats to oil supplies and prices, plus the DEA Podcast goes international!
Home Information Pack Exemptions to End October 1st 2008
Unsold homes that have been on the market since before the Home Information Pack (HIP) commencement dates of last year are set to lose their HIP exemption from October 1st 2008 if they remain on the market, according to a response from EPBD helpline. Also, private sales are expected to lose the HIP exemption too!
DEA and HIP Directory Websites - Beware
An example of why you should be careful of which DEA and HIP directories you submit your websites to. Also, tips on what to look for
Tags: dea-marketing
Home Inspection Forum has Closed
The Home Inspector Forum officially closed its doors in the early hours today without warning, this site can reveal.
Tags: debris
DEA Numbers: 7,930 Accredited
Another sneakily slipped-out update from the CLG: The number of accredited Domestic Energy Assessors as of 23 May 2008 stood at 7930. Total in the system was 14,210. Hey-ho
Tags: dea-numbers
DEA Workshop with CLG: Energy Saving Trust Alliance
Domestic Energy Assessors (DEAs) convened on Communities and Local Government (CLG) HQ for a DEA Workshop early August. Here we look at plans to recruit and train DEAs to supply an extended Energy Performance Certificate to homeowners as part of a new paid for service from the Energy Saving Trust to supply Home Action Plans.
Will this create an elite minority of DEAs earning higher fees? This is the second concluding part looking at the proposals and decisions made at the meeting
Tags: clg, dea-workshop, energy-saving-trust, home-action-plan, energy-performance-certificate
Rental Property EPCs Discussed on Radio 4
Domestic Energy Assessor Frank Mills performed a fine job representing the industry yesterday on Radio 4's You and Yours programme which discussed the impact of Energy Performance Certificates on landlords and tenants
National Energy Services Conference 2008
The leading industry conference has been announced for Domestic Energy Assessors and Home Inspectors. NHER/SAVA will be hosting this year's two-day get-together October 22nd and 23rd and features a host of speakers including fellow-blogger Neil Kurz and Robert Kyriakides - I may even pop down with my outside broadcasting unit, so watch out!
Tags: nher
Brick-maker Closes UK Factories
More bad data dumped on the shoulders of property professionals this week - when brick-makers close, you know that is not a good omen for on-construction domestic energy assessors. Also fewer new domestic homesellers... we know the rest
Tags: on-construction-domestic-energy-assessor, domestic-energy-assessor, home-information-pack
AHIPP: More Top-Level Changes
Yet more changes at AHIPP. Today they welcome two new directors: Rob Hailstone from HIPAG; and Lesley Sorridimi from HIPHIPhooray.com. Also, plans to require dual membership of AHIPP and The HIPCode are dropped
Tags: ahipp, hipag, hiphiphooray, hip-code
DEA Workshop with the CLG - CPD Changes
Domestic Energy Assessors and industry representatives met with the CLG last week to plot a path for the future of Energy Performance Certificates, and those serving them. Here we gather views and gauge consquences. Part 1 of 2 looks at a proposed CPD shake-up
Tags: accreditation-schemes, clg, cpd, ihi, dea-workshop, quidos
AHIPP to Lose Deputy Director General
Paul Broadhead will leave AHIPP in October to single-handedly halt the credit crunch in his new role as Head of Mortgage Policy at the Building Societies Association (BSA)
Tags: ahipp, news, home-information-pack
Bravo China!
Unbelievable mesmerising display of human and technological ingenuity at the Chinese Olympic opening ceremony
Tags: debris
Display Energy Certificate: Transitional Arrangements Published
The CLG has today published its transitional guidelines for those involved with conducting assessments on public buildings for the Display Energy Certificate
Energy Performance Certificates With Decorum
With a simple click on a map, DECoRuM quickly displays the SAP rating of a home together with other energy and CO2 emission data. Zoom out and quickly identify low-performing areas. Will Energy Performance Certificates soon be available to view on Google Maps? DECoRuM is in use today and was once targetted at Home Inspectors
Tags: energy-performance-certificate, green-homes-service, technology
Leave Caroline Alone Gordon (or David)!
Why Caroline Flint should remain Housing Minister
Tags: government, home-information-pack
CLG Consultations: Searches and Consumer HIP Information
The CLG released two more consultation documents to stuff-up your holidays this week: Charges for Property Searches and Improved Consumer Information in the Home Information Pack (HIP). Enjoy!
Tags: home-information-pack, government
AHIPP: Quest to Find New Chairman Succeeds
Tom Parker, managing director of Quest, becomes chairman of Association of Home Information Pack Providers
Tags: ahipp, quest, home-information-pack
Home Information Packs: CLG Considering Improvements
Ways to improve the Home Information Pack are being considered by Caroline Flint, according to an interview in Tribune Magazine. A homeowners' questionnaire is one idea under discussion.
Tags: home-information-pack, clg
Fuel Bills: The First Domino Falls
So now that energy company EDF has announced further energy price increases, others will certainly follow suit. So when will Energy Performance Certificates become a real force for change? If not now, when?
Parliament: RdSAP Limitations, Update and Home Information Packs Mis-Sold?
Home-buyers know when Home Information Packs are unreliable so commission their own independently, according to group of lawyers. Are they right, or being mis-sold? RdSAP anomalies exposed by architect: Energy Performance Certificate ratings "flawed". CLG announce RdSAP update from September: pay rise, or pay cut? Lots to look at in this House of Commons debate.
Tags: rdsap, energy-performance-certificate, home-information-pack, government
Institutes and Associations: Next!
Domestic Energy Assessors are excited. AHIPP, IDEA, IHI, IPPA and NARHI had better watch out, another entity looks set to emerge. But what's the point? Dividing never unites, does it? And are DEAs expecting too much, too soon? Analysing the list of proposed policies.
Tags: independent-pack-providers-association, institute-of-domestic-energy-assessors, institute-of-home-inspectors, comment
Move to Abolish HIPs Fails
A Tory amendment to abolish Home Information Packs (HIPs) failed yesterday in the House of Lords by 19 votes. Also, Baroness Ford reveals that house-builders want the Code for Sustainable Homes (CSH) diluted
Tags: home-information-pack, code-for-sustainable-homes, government
Are Display Energy Certificates the Biggest Game in Town?
Stroma and CIBSE are just two organisations publicly stressing the high demand for Display Energy Certificates. Is this hype or a realistic career-path for battle-hardened Domestic Energy Assessors to consider (or anyone for that matter)
Tags: display-energy-certificate, dea-training, stroma, cibse
EPC Data-Gatherers Allowed for Domestic Rentals - CLG
In what will be a blow to Domestic Energy Assessors, the CLG has today published an Energy Performance Certificate guide for landlords which reveals that data-gatherers is acceptable
Tags: government, epc-domestic-rentals, domestic-energy-assessor, quidos
Northern Ireland EPC Countdown: Just 3 RdSAP Software Approved
Energy Performance Certificates (EPCs) are required on all homes marketed for sale in Northern Ireland from tomorrow, yet some Domestic Energy Assessors may struggle to issue them at all unless they have access to BRE-approved RdSAP software only three accreditation schemes (Elmhurst, ECMK and Northgate) have so far attained. Also, Elmhurst claim the first EPC issued for Northern Ireland too!
Tags: northern-ireland-epc, ecmk, elmhurst, northgate, bre, rdsap
Landmark Northern Ireland EPC Register v England - Duped & Seeded?
Northern Ireland Domestic Energy Assessors fear an English invasion of DEAs because the Energy Performance Certificate Register for N.I. is littered with DEA addresses in England. But all might not be as it appears!
Tags: northern-ireland-domestic-energy-assessor, hcrregister, landmark, domestic-energy-assessor
CLG: Data-Sharing EPCs to Green Homes Service & Others
The CLG today published proposals on how it would share Energy Performance Certificate data with the Green Homes Service and Carbon Trust. It also wants to loosen restrictions on Domestic Energy Assessors and prospective commercial property buyers and tenants too. It seeks your views, but do they really matter when the Green Homes Service was announced last November anyway?
Tags: green-homes-service, energy-performance-certificate, commercial-energy-performance-certificate, carbon-trust, domestic-energy-assessor
Will Govt's £100bn Energy Announcement Bolster EPCs?
The Government is expected to unveil a £100bn package of measures to reduce energy consumption and C02 emissions next week - Good news for Domestic Energy Assessors? Will Energy Performance Certificates be freed from the Home Information Packs?
Tags: government, energy-performance-certificate, home-information-pack
Stroma Release Code for Sustainable Homes Software - Free
Stroma is giving away its software for the Code for Sustainable Homes (CSH) free to anybody that wants to use it - regardless of whether you're an existing Code assessor or a Domestic Energy Assessor just curious to see what its all about.
Tags: stroma, code-for-sustainable-homes, software
More Homes Keep Domestic Energy Assessors Working
New figures from Rightmove today suggest Domestic Energy Assessors (DEAs) and HIP providers are trading on the hopes of new home sellers entering the market, despite more unsold homes on estate agency books and fewer buyers in the market. How long will the elastic stretch?
Tags: business-news
Northgate RdSAP Software 1st for Northern Ireland
Northgate has won first approval from BRE to allow Domestic Energy Assessors to use its own RdSAP software for Northern Ireland Energy Performance Certificates, which become law on residential home sales later this month. This might also be a good time to look at the differences between Northern Ireland and England & Wales whilst we are at it too.
Tags: Northgate, BRE, rdsap, northern-ireland-epc
NHER / SAVA Seek Group Hugs With DEAs & HIs
NHER / SAVA are looking for regional groups of Domestic Energy Assessors or Home Inspectors to help promote and support. If you are involved with, or run, such a regional rabble, you better read on
Tags: nher, domestic-energy-assessor, conference, home-inspector, regional-groups
CLG: Average EPC Rating of B on New Homes
New homes achieve an average Energy Performance Certificate rating of B the Housing Minister has revealed. Yes, yet another answer to another question from Lib Dem Shadow Housing Minister, Lembit Opik.
Existing Domestic and New-Build Property Outlook: Bleak
Figures released over the last 24 hours will not be welcome if you are an On-Construction Domestic Energy Assessor (OCDEA), or DEA... or anyone scratching a living in the property sector for that matter
Tags: on-construction-domestic-energy-assessor, domestic-energy-assessor, business-news
Home Condition Reports Possible if Voluntary Uptake Flops
Home Condition Reports may become a mandatory part of the Home Information Pack if voluntary take-up flops, according to Housing Minister, Caroline Flint in a written reply to Lembit Opik of the Lib Dems. Previously, HCRs would be reviewed, now there appears to be at least a partial condition attached
Tags: home-condition-report, government, home-information-pack
Domestic Energy Assessor Suspended by Accreditation Scheme
An employed Domestic Energy Assessor (DEA) had their licence suspended by their accreditation scheme because EPC lodgement fees were not paid by their employer. If DEAs are ultimately liable for this fee, can they actually be employed at all?
Tags: domestic-energy-assessor, business-news, dea-terms-and-conditions
Institute of Home Inspection Target DEA Training Companies
The Institute of Home Inspection is seeking names of dodgy Domestic Energy Assessor training companies to pass on to the Housing Minister, Caroline Flint, as part of an enquiry her Dept, the CLG, launched in April.
Tags: institute-of-home-inspection, dea-training, clg, domestic-energy-assessor
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