5th February 2009
i-prophets energy services wins Low Carbon Energy Assessor EPC of the Year
i-prophets energy services and Low Carbon Energy Assessor Richard Hipkiss were awarded a prestigious Low Carbon Performance Award for EPC of the Year 2009 at the Annual CIBSE Awards dinner.
An Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) with improvement recommendations is required for every commercial building when it is constructed, sold or let, and sets out the property’s energy efficiency grade. The Award seeks to identify and reward the EPC recommendations that are most effective in assisting the owner or operator to reduce carbon emissions in the building.
The building receiving the Energy performance Certificates was Alexandra House, the Head Office to the Police Mutual Assurance Society (PMAS), housing office facilities, a call centre and purpose built meeting and conference facilities. Alexandra House was originally built in 1970, as a three storey office development. An extension to the site was completed in 1990 adding approximately 600m2 of further office space and a separate annex building built originally as a storage facility, with additional office space. The building was then extended again in 2000, adding an additional 1200m2 of office and meeting space and a centre piece atrium.
The certificate was commissioned by Des Royes, PMAS Facilities Manager in July 2008 for two reasons. Initially to cover the provision of an EPC for and incoming sub-tenant but with the wider scope to cover the whole building as the starting point of a wider campaign into energy efficiency.
The EPC rating result was typical for a building of existing stock; this pleased but surprised the occupier who had anticipated that their rating would be much worse. Their expectation was a misunderstanding between the design of the building and how they were operating it. The reality was that they were in occupation of a relatively well designed building, the challenge was if they managing it well or not?
The strongest recommendation made was to encourage the voluntary production of a Display Energy Certificate, whilst not required under the EPBD this was seen as the most effective way to highlight that the asset rating is only the potential. The result, attached, was a very powerful message indeed leading to significant internal changes. Recommendations accompanying the DEC were mainly specific to people, driving operational efficiency through the company. The DEC received a special commendation at the awards in the category of DEC of the Year.
Speaking at the awards Des Royes was “over the moon that Alexandra House had presented the opportunity to raise the profile of Low Carbon Performance”
