Introduction to Energy Performance Certificates
Climate change is becoming an increasing concern, both in the UK and worldwide.
Levels of Carbon Dioxide (CO2) in the atmosphere, one of the main causes of climate change, have risen by more than a third since the Industrial Revolution and are now rising faster than ever before. This has led to rising temperatures and some quite significant environmental changes:
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Arctic Sea Ice has thinned by 40%.
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Global mean sea level rising at an average 1-2mm a year.
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Global Snow cover decreased by 10% since 1960’s.
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“El Nino” events more frequent and intense
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Increased use of the Thames Barrier – from once every 2 years to 6 times per year over the past 5 years.
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Weather related economic losses increased 10 fold over last 40 years.
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(Source: UK Government “Energy White Paper” Feb 2003)
In the light of these concerns, the Government has committed to a target of a 60% reduction in carbon dioxide emissions by 2050.
In terms of CO2 emissions, buildings are the biggest culprit in the UK, with domestic homes contributing more greenhouse gases than other buildings. Up to a third of all CO2 emissions from the UK are from the domestic home.
The Government seeks to change attitudes by raising awareness; by giving home owners consistent information on how energy efficient their properties are the Government’s aim is to stimulate improvement in thermal performance of the housing stock in the UK.
Energy Ratings provide a measure of the fuel cost and CO2 emissions of a property, similar to the miles-per-gallon and exhaust emission figures published for new cars.
Everyone wins with energy conservation; the householder spends less on fuel, the Government meets its targets and scarce resources are conserved. There is considerable scope for improvement.
More than 75% of cavity walls in existing dwellings remain un-insulated, more than 60% of loft spaces have less than 100mm of loft insulation and most heating systems are poorly controlled with low efficiency.
Improvements in thermal performance are excellent investments for the home owner:
A typical 1960’s house could have its fuel bills reduced by £200 per year for an expenditure of about £500 on additional insulation – an effective rate of return of 40% - tax free and inflation proof!
