Energy Assessments

Commercial Energy Assessments (EPC)

If you are thinking of selling or renting out your commercial building(s), you are required by law to hold a current Energy Performance Certificate (EPC). At RCS our in-house team of NDEA’s are qualified, experienced, accredited and insured to produce EPC’s at a cost and timescale to suit your needs.

With the ever-increasing cost of energy, it is more important than ever before to make sure your business is utilising its energy resources as effectively and efficiently as possible. The cheapest energy is the energy you don’t use. As an additional service, whilst gathering the required information during your commercial EPC survey, we can undertake an energy audit of your premises to identify opportunities for reducing energy use, that will lead to reduced energy costs and ultimately to a more profitable business.

Accredited with both Stroma and ECMK, our NDEA’s produce EPC’s and accompanying Recommendation Reports using the Simplified Building Energy Model (SBEM) software to ensure compliance with the regulations.

Display Energy Certificates (DEC)

The purpose of a Display Energy Certificate (DEC) is to raise public awareness of building energy use and to inform visitors to public buildings about the energy use of the building they are in. With the ever-increasing cost of energy, it is more important than ever before to know that public buildings are as energy efficient as possible. As the name suggests, the DEC must be ‘Displayed’ in a prominent place, giving all building visitors access to this information.

A DEC indicates the energy rating of the building from A to G, where A is the most energy efficient and G is the least, based on the actual amount of metered energy used by the building over the previous 12-month period. The Advisory Report which accompanies the DEC contains recommendations for improving the energy performance of the building.

A DEC and Advisory Report are required for buildings with a total useful floor area over 250m2 that are occupied in whole or part by Public Authorities and frequently visited by the public. DEC’s must be displayed in a prominent place clearly visible to the public.

Accredited with both Stroma and ECMK, our in-house DEC assessors produce DEC’s and accompanying Advisory Reports using the Operational Rating (OR Calc) software to ensure compliance with the regulations.

Energy Audits

As an additional service, whilst undertaking EPC / DEC site surveys, we will record details of the building construction type and date, HVAC systems, insulation, glazing types, lighting and any other relevant information relating to energy use. We then use this data to create a base line to indicate how energy efficient the building is at the time of the survey. Using government approved software, we can ‘model’ the effects that various energy efficiency upgrades would have on the overall energy consumption if implemented, creating a ‘shopping list’ with approximate costs and payback terms, enabling building owners to budget for future energy efficiency improvement works.

Common Questions

See some common questions and answers below or call us on 01642 686120

  • What is involved in a Commercial EPC Inspection?

    The information collated during the inspection is detailed and includes several elements of the building.  The inspection can take anything from an hour to a full day depending on the size and complexity of the project.

    • Analysis of building design

    • Analysis of building fabric including glazing, wall, floor and roof construction and how the building is used

    • Analysis of Lighting, Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning Systems

    • Analysis of building structure and calculation of insulation measures in place.

    We also provide a separate report which details how the energy efficiency of the building can be improved and the possible cost savings from these improvements.


  • Do I need a Display Energy Certificate (DEC)?

    It is a legal requirement for all public buildings frequently visited by the public to have an annual DEC renewal undertaken where the floor area is over 1000 m2. All properties above 250m2 but less than 1000m2 require a similar assessment but it lasts for a 10 year period.

  • What is a Display Energy Certificate?

    A Display Energy Certificate provides information about the energy usage of a building and is based on actual annual energy consumption. It shows the operational rating of the building and recommendations on how to improve energy efficiency and reduce the building's energy consumption.

  • Do I need a Commercial EPC?

    If you are thinking of selling or renting out your commercial building(s), you are required by law to hold a current Energy Performance Certificate (EPC). 

  • What information is required for a DEC?

    To complete a DEC assessment, you will need to provide us with 12 consecutive months of energy bills and floorpans are also useful.  Once we have conducted a site visit and input the relevant data into the software, your DEC will be issued.

  • Do I need to display the DEC?

    It has been a legal requirement to display these certificates since 2008 in Public Buildings.  Furthermore, these notices are designed to promote envioronmentally friendly practices amongst the public and public sector workers.