Members of the public querying EPCs

Josh Wakeling, Head of Operations

As energy certificates come under more scrutiny, and their importance grows within the move towards net zero and mass retrofitting of homes, we have received an increase in questions from members of the public about their format and the methodology unpinning them.

To add fuel to the fire, the recent fuel price increases and fuel poverty amongst low income households has triggered a need to understand what their buildings’ energy performance rating is and how they can improve it with the aim to reduce energy, carbon emissions and running costs. As an industry, we must act now to ensure we are at the forefront of providing the best expertise, knowledge and guidance to all stakeholders. Whatever the reason, Elmhurst believes that raising the awareness of energy efficiency is a positive move and complaints are a vital part of the feedback loop in ensuring energy certificates are consistent, understood and improved. Blessing in disguise

It is not a secret that the top organisations actively ask for feedback from customers and clients to not only identify when things go well, but also areas for improvement. Even though it may not seem it at first glance, customer complaints can be a blessing in disguise. With the right professional approach, you can use them to your advantage and consequently this will help you and your business to grow and develop. Complaints can often take some time to conclude, which is unfortunately preventing our industry leading technical support teams from delivering the technical guidance to our own customers, you, our members. By providing you with the necessary tools to answer and resolve the queries or complaints, it will ensure that our support teams can focus on delivering technical support. It is therefore vital that you, as the first point of call, have a complaints policy available for your clients and that you understand your responsibilities and duties when it comes to answering and dealing with queries and complaints. Elmhurst is working on resources to assist you in delivering the best service possible; please keep an eye out for our technical bulletins and communications on this subject. We look forward to working with all our members to raise the profile of energy efficiency and trust that you will join us on this journey together.