Elmhurst Energy's
MANIFESTO FOR CHANGE
Elmhurst Energy's Manifesto for Change
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Welcome to... Elmhurst Energy's
MANIFESTO FOR CHANGE As the UK’s leading expert in energy assessment, our mission is to provide members with the highest quality, most authoritative energy assessment products and services, which will promote energy efficiency and environmental responsibility. This mission drives our manifesto and its six simple and practical measures that we believe will help to significantly reduce energy consumption in the UK. In 2018 we celebrate our 25th anniversary and have released this manifesto to commemorate this special occasion. From training chartered surveyors to produce energy ratings reports in the early 90’s, to creating a universal methodology for calculating the energy performance of existing buildings, Elmhurst Energy has been involved with energy assessment even before the industry began! We thank all those who have been part of our journey and promise to continue our support of energy assessors and this important industry. Stephen O’Hara Elmhurst Energy Chairman
t: 01455 883 250 • www.elmhurstenergy.co.uk
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Our Manifesto For the last five years Elmhurst has developed a manifesto which we believe underlines the highest priority actions for government and industry to reduce fuel poverty, energy consumption and the impact of climate change. By documenting our views it provides focus for the year ahead on which we lobby and exert influence at every opportunity. Whilst we cannot claim all the credit, it is interesting to see that recent developments such as the Minimum Energy Efficiency Standards (MEES) and the Clean Growth Strategy were both things that we had asked government to introduce, so maybe our efforts were rewarded. Elmhurst Energy's 25th anniversary manifesto is written in the knowledge that by the end of 2019 the UK will have left the European Union and the requirements of the EPBD will no longer apply. Elmhurst sees this as an excellent opportunity to develop energy assessments and energy certificates without any perceived restriction and obligations that may have existed. Martyn Reed Elmhurst Energy Managing Director
Elmhurst Energy's Manifesto for Change
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Elmhurst’s Journey... Celebrating 25 Years We would like to extend our deepest gratitude to all of our members and those who have been part of our 25 year journey, the highlights of which are shown below:
Mid 90s Elmhurst set up a home buyer product/survey at the request of Nationwide Building Society, who wanted an energy rating service which provided quick energy assessments for house sales. The surveying arm of Nationwide eventually split from the core business and became Countrywide Surveyors, which was led by Peter Hales - Elmhurst’s first customer and now chair of our oversight board.
1993 Organic farmer and successful businessman Rod Pattison created a way to measure the energy efficiency of buildings. He was passionate about green technology and wanted to show people how much they could save on energy bills. So he and Bob Love created Elmhurst Energy, which was named after and operated from Rod’s organic farm in Warwickshire. The Farm itself was well known for its nature conservation and organic farming. It was featured on BBC programmes such as Spring Watch and Last Night of the Proms, and at one point was visited by the Cuban minister for agriculture. Rod’s future son-in-law, Stephen O’Hara, had just graduated university and came to help with training for two weeks. But he decided to stick around and eventually became Chairman of Elmhurst.
Elmhurst trained countless chartered surveyors to use their Streamline software and methodology, working for big name clients - despite being a team of 5 or 6 working out of a barn.
1995 BRE’s Standard Assessment Procedure was first cited in Part L of the Building Regulations (England & Wales) as a means of assessing a dwelling’s energy performance, and Elmhurst took this opportunity to provide Building Control Bodies with the relevant training and software. From this would come the first energy assessments for new build homes and the very first version of Design SAP Software. At this time, the vast majority of chartered surveyors were trained and supported by Elmhurst to undertake energy rating reports using Quest and Streamline SAP. Elmhurst's connection with surveyors paved the way to launch Green Mortgages (which are coming back now) and many other green schemes that are seeing a renewed focus.
t: 01455 883 250 • www.elmhurstenergy.co.uk
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2002
2008
Elmhurst was thrust to the forefront of the industry when the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD) from the EU stated that all member states had to measure the energy efficiency of buildings. In essence, they needed a measuring stick.
The first ever new build EPC was lodged by Elmhurst Energy Assessor David Wilson Homes.
The Federation of Authorised Energy Rating Organisations (FAERO) which included Elmhurst Energy, NHER and MVM Starpoint (Northgate), worked alongside BRE to develop a universal solution for existing properties. Together they developed Reduced Data Standard Assessment Procedure (RdSAP) which took the best parts of Elmhurst's and NHER's software.
2007
By the end of 2008 all homes and non-domestic buildings, when sold, built or rented, required an EPC. Display Energy Certificates (DECs) were also introduced as a requirement for buildings occupied by public authorities. A building which had a total floor area over 1,000m2 and was frequently visited by the public would require a DEC (these requirements were altered in 2015).
The first standardised methodology to calculate the energy efficiency of homes in the UK, known today as RdSAP was introduced to the industry. RdSAP has revolutionised energy efficiency standards for domestic dwellings across Europe and forms the basis of Energy Performance Certificates (EPCs) 18 million of which have been produced to date! With the introduction of RdSAP and the requirement of EPCs to meet EPBD legislation, Elmhurst began training hundreds of individuals to become Domestic Energy Assessors (DEAs) at their new offices in Leicestershire and nationwide. Qualified assessors were registered to Elmhurst’s DEA accreditation scheme.
2018 Elmhurst has continued to grow within the energy assessment industry and with the acquisition of BRE, Northgate and NHER is now the UK's largest accreditation scheme for Energy Assessors, with over 7,000 members producing over 600,000 EPCs per year. Elmhurst continues to support and campaign for a sustainable industry for energy assessors and aims to ensure that energy efficiency is always at the forefront of the political and business agenda.
Elmhurst Energy's Manifesto for Change
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Elmhurst Energy's
MANIFESTO FOR CHANGE
1. Government use the opportunities of BREXIT to improve energy certificates
For ten years we have been told that the mechanics to produce an energy certificate, and how they were presented, was defined by the European Union and there was no appetite to "gold plate" those requirements to make the process and output more meaningful. With BREXIT approaching, government can use this opportunity to include additional trigger points that require an energy certificate, and to re-present the information to ensure that they can become an effective catalyst for change.
t: 01455 883 250 • www.elmhurstenergy.co.uk
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2. Industry should work together to drive up the quality of energy certificates
More focus is required for reinvigorating the industry’s quality regime, whereby delivered energy certificates can retain the confidence of stakeholders. Quality assurance should be focused on preventing mistakes and avoiding problems, rather than simply identifying when they have occurred. By taking ownership of the Scheme Operating Requirements (SORs) the industry now has a golden opportunity to review the whole process (from the assumptions in the methodology through to auditing and CPD) to ensure that the quality of the delivered certificate is the focus of everything we do.
Elmhurst Energy's Manifesto for Change
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Elmhurst Energy's
MANIFESTO FOR CHANGE
3. Government should devise and implement policies to deliver on their strategic targets
It is encouraging that the government has issued their long term strategic targets to reduce energy consumption and carbon emissions. We now need timely and practical policies to deliver on those targets using the energy certificate as the benchmark tool. The phrase "if you can't measure it, you can't manage it" applies to energy efficiency as it does to many other aspects of business life. With over 18 million energy certificates issued we have a resource that is proving invaluable to academics and policy makers. However, the Government's Clean Growth Strategy highlights that a lack of policy in recent years, overlaid with predicted economic growth, will actually see emissions increase again. Significant and fast-acting policies to deliver energy efficiency are required now.
t: 01455 883 250 • www.elmhurstenergy.co.uk
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4. Government need policies that focus on helping families out of fuel poverty
It is encouraging that new legislation is in place, such as that applied to private rental properties, focusing on our least eďŹƒcient homes, but there is still much more to be done for those in fuel poverty. Recent fuel shortages and concern about energy bills will be reduced if we focus on reducing the demand for energy through the delivery of eďŹƒciency improvements.
Elmhurst Energy's Manifesto for Change
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Elmhurst Energy's
MANIFESTO FOR CHANGE
5. Government require that energy certificates accurately reflect the current state of the property
Good decisions can only be made with an energy certificate that represents the current property and fuel prices. Government should insist that an up to date energy certificate is used to support a house sale or rental, accurately representing the current condition of the property, including all recent changes, and catering for fluctuation in fuel prices. We believe that the energy certificate should never be more than twelve months old.
t: 01455 883 250 • www.elmhurstenergy.co.uk
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6. Industry extend the role of Energy Assessors to include best practice advice on how to reduce fuel bills and make their homes warmer
An EPC is, by design, an asset rating that does not attempt to reect the lifestyle of the occupant. Elmhurst believe that energy advisors should be encouraged to deliver home energy advice, tailoring the recommendations to the lifestyle of the occupant, with practical advice given to implement those recommendations.
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Elmhurst continues to support the following government departments in delivering their energy eďŹƒciency strategies:
England and Wales Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) The Department of Building, Energy & Industrial Strategy (BEIS)
Scotland: Building Standards Division (BSD)
Northern Ireland: The Department of Finance and Personal in Northern Ireland (DFPNI)
For further information about the services that Elmhurst Energy provides please visit:
www.elmhurstenergy.co.uk or call:
01455 883 250