Energy Certificates Must Be Displayed, Says Lobby Group
The UK Green Building Council (UK-GBC) has called for the display of energy ratings to be made compulsory in all public buildings as part of a move to increase efficiency.
Currently, all non-residential buildings in the UK over 1,000 m2 must display a Display Energy Certificate (DEC) prominently at all times. These include details on the actual energy usage of the building, together with an A-G rating, much the same as the Windows Energy Rating (WER) scheme, and suggestions of measures that can be taken to lower emissions.
Under the UK-GBC’s proposals, the display of DERs would be extended to all public buildings regardless of size and would be written into the energy bill that is currently being debated in parliament.
“If you want to go on a diet, you first find out how much you weigh. The property sector urgently needs to go on an energy diet but to do so, it has to be able to accurately measure and report on its energy use,” said UK-GBC chief executive Paul King.
“Display Energy Certificates do exactly that and should be rolled out to all buildings as soon as practically possible. There is a window of opportunity to do this in the energy bill currently going through parliament. A to G ratings for commercial buildings will provide a reputational driver for both landlords and tenants to take energy use more seriously, leading to carbon and financial savings.”
According to the Energy Saving Trust, the average property loses around 18% of its heat through its windows. Replacing single glazing with double glazed windows can lead to a reduction of around 720 kilograms of carbon dioxide every year.
For more information on double glazing windows, including Safestyle, Anglian and staybrite windows reviews, visit the Double Glazing Forum.
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