Property developers should embrace EPC delays

EPC delays will not leave commercial property market in the cold, say energy assessment experts Christopher Rodgers.

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EPC delays will not leave commercial property market in the cold.

Landlords and developers should embrace the notion of Energy Performance Certificates (EPCs) on commercial buildings, despite the delays to EPC rollout.

Last week it emerged EPCs will now only be required on buildings with a floor space over 10,000m2 from April 2008.

It was originally planned that EPCs would be imposed on all buildings built, sold or rented with a floor space over 500m2 from next April.

A new EPC implementation timeline produced by The Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG) also states that EPCs will be required for buildings over 2,500m2 from July 1st 2008 and that display certificates for buildings over 1,000m2 will not be required until October next year.

Chris Rodgers, chief executive of Christopher Rodgers Home and Energy, comments: "The commercial market is still waiting for information from the DCLG on non-domestic energy assessor training schemes, grading and accreditation.

The changes to EPC implementation will provide more time for non-domestic energy assessors to be properly trained and for commercial property professionals to get to grips with how the changes will impact on their transactions.

"Developers and landlords should not view the changes as a Government climb down on EPCs and, instead, use the additional rollout time to understand the requirements of energy performance certification, to assess the energy efficiency of their dwellings and bring buildings up to regulatory standards.

"An increasing number of commercial tenants are making eco-compliant demands as they respond to public pressure for 'greener' ways of doing business.

Landlords and developers that do not improve the environmental performance of their buildings could quickly find themselves with buildings that fall foul of the law and have little market appeal.

"Savvy landlords and developers are already making arrangements for energy performance assessments on their buildings.

This will help them to get way ahead in a market that is likely to experience a deluge of demand, which could result in costly delays for those who leave it too late to book their EPC assessments.

Taking early action will enable commercial property professionals to steal the march on competitors and help their property deals and transactions to thrive.

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