Anyone can do an EPC?

"Now everyone can do an 'EPC' thanks to new phone app

Friday 27th August 2010
In what sounds like bad news for the already beleaguered energy assessor industry, a new phone app is being launched which will give everyone the ability to audit and generate an A to G rating on any home.
A London firm called Qreative Medias is behind the application ‘Home Energy Performance’ which is available on the iPhone and iPad in the Apple Stores.It is thought users will be home owners, buyers, estate agents, letting agents and builders.The app not only delivers an energy rating but also recommendations and advice, with a pdf report.The report indicates the EPC score, including the A to G graph required under the EU directive. The app is available worldwide and in several different languages.
However, a spokesman for Qreative Media said that whilst the app generates an EPC, exactly as a survey would do and in conformity with guidelines, it would not count as the 'real' thing in terms of requirements for selling or renting a property, as it is generated by the iPhone user and not by a registered and accredited Domestic Energy Assessor.

http://home-energy-performance.mobi"

The above story comes from http://www.estateagenttoday.co.uk/News/Story/?storyid=3468&title=Now_everyone_can_do_an_'EPC'_thanks_to_new_phone_app&type=news_features.

It may seem like an absolutely awful idea and the final death blow to all those people who spent their life savings/remortgaged their houses to become a fully trained accredited Domestic Energy Assessor but even the creaters of the software Qreative Media said that the app generates an EPC it DOES NOT count as the real thing. Plus in my mind unless the person who is using the app understands exactly what a DEA looks for and assesses then there is a large possibility of the data being collected incorrectly, entered incorrectly etc so it can never be a substitute for a real EPC. There is of course the possibility that the app may be used by some people to try and get away with not having a correctly done EPC by an accredited and trained DEA.

On the plus side if it gets people interested in EPCs and the fact that they can save money and energy that has to be counted as a positive.

The Green Deal, further info

"Thousands of new insulation workers will soon be hitting Britain’s streets as part of a national effort to make people’s homes warmer and cheaper to run. Chris Huhne, today said that by 2015 up to 100,000 Green Deal workers could be employed in the effort to upgrade Britain’s homes. Currently around 27,000 work in the insulation industry. Legislation to start the process of establishing the Green Deal is due to be introduced into Parliament next month.The Green Deal is the Government’s new and radical way of making energy efficiency available to all, whether people own or rent their property. The work to upgrade the property will be paid back from the saving on energy bills.Chris Huhne, visiting British Gas’ Energy Academy in Thatcham, said:“The Green Deal’s about making people feel as warm as toast in their homes. I want Britain to say goodbye forever to leaky lofts and chilly draughts. At a time of increasing gas prices energy efficiency is a no-brainer."

This is from the http://www.decc.gov.uk/ website.  There is a leaflet on the Green Deal that is also available to download from this website which goes on to explain that 3.5 million homes will be insulated in the run up to the Green Deal.

Part of the leaflet states "Under the Carbon Emissions Reduction Target (CERT) the Government requires all major, domestic energy suppliers to make savings in the amount of CO2 emitted by households. CERT helps reduce energy demand; enhance the UK’s security of supply; reduce fuel poverty; and, secure jobs in energy efficiency industries. In June 2010 the new Government extended the scheme to ensure 3.5 million new homes can benefit by 2012, providing an additional 107 MtCO2 in carbon savings"

I can only hope that these "thousands of insulation workers" will be 1. regulated, 2. a thorough assessment of the required amount of insulation workers will take place, 3. training providers will be kept in check.

When I read further through I found this "Chris Huhne announces that “were all 26 million households to take up the Green Deal over the next 20 years, employment in the sector would rise from its current level of 27,000 to something approaching 250,000”    I know I keep rabbiting on about this (sorry in advance) but please get a grip on the training providers - there are some fantastic ones out there (Elmhurst, SAVA, ECMK etc) but there are also the ones that are promising the moon and the stars and are giving the industry a bad name. Also (sorry soapbox again) cap the amount of people allowed to train for the green profession and set the fees like the Australian Government did.

The direct gov website is getting better - its still not positive enough for me, but compared to a year ago there are alot more details on there about how to save money when you move home. The website can be reached on this link http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/Environmentandgreenerliving/Greenerlifeevents/DG_064436. It is a shame though that the EPC is only mentioned once on this page and then only very briefly.  I did enjoy reading about the microgeneration technologies and it is explained simply so it doesn't get confusing.

Rose Tinted Glasses

I look at the world sometimes through "rose tinted" glasses. I have spent the lottery winnings on 50+ occassions in my head/daydreams (the most I have ever won is £10). I started a new career as a self employed domestic energy assessor just as the recession started to hit the UK properly.
I am sure you can see the theme that does run through all of my life - I am hopeful at all times, I want to believe the best about people and always try and stay cheery.

But sometimes when I look closely at things like I have done over the past 2-3 weeks and I get to see a large picture I can get very frustrated!

I have seen all the promotion and brilliant websites in New Zealand, Sweden etc, all the grants available in France, Canada, the assessors friend in Australia - Christine Milne and the fact that they set the fees, the USA talking about how energy efficency will be another "granite worktop" and highly valued in a property and then we look at the UK.

We have a brilliant tool - the Energy Performance Certificate and we have accredited, CRB checked, domestic and commercial assessors who love their job. But we have a website that is dreary and little promotion of the EPC, we have training providers guaranteeing work that isn't there, we have undercutting on prices and devaluing of the assessment.

This is what I would like to see happen:
1. Fees set.
2. Training providers fined - and the fine published for all to see
3. A better website.
4. More grants available and they are promoted.
5. Energy efficency in a property is a marketable asset.
6. A champion for energy assessors.
7. Thorough promotion of the EPC and its value (and commercial EPCs)

Thats just the tip of my wish list but when you look at it it wouldn't be that hard to achieve and it would benefit so many. The UK is a country to be proud of but we need to promote ourselves better.

Energy efficiency in the USA?

I was browsing through the internet again (not really I have a bee in my bonnet now about finding out what other countries are doing re EPCs) and found this blog: http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/rea/blog/post/2010/11/energy-efficiency-real-estates-next-granite-counter-top

" Often on the vanguard, Boston-based Conservation Services Group is working on an idea to make home efficiency more tangible. It is a surprisingly simple idea. One that is likely to leave a lot of people saying, ‘Of course. Why didn’t I think of that?’
You might say CSG is making energy efficiency the next granite kitchen counter top of the real estate business.

Through a $348,000 grant from the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation, CSG is working on a metric to describe a home’s energy efficiency value. When a homeowner lists a house for sale, the metric would be included in the multiple listing service (MLS), right along with the home’s price, number of bedrooms, square-footage and location. Suddenly, efficiency is tangible, something that can be quantified and can add or detract to home value.It’s not yet clear what that metric will look like. It might be a numerical score or a certification like the Energy Star label. Figuring that out is part of CSG’s task, as it puts in place a program for New York over the next two years. “You can imagine the pitfalls in establishing what this score would be,” said David Weitz, director of CSG’s Applied Building Science Division. “How do you present it in a way that is accessible to the greatest number of people.  Unfortunately, there is no right answer.”

Well there is an answer - look at what the UK has had in place since 2007 and what Australia is putting into place in 2011. Talk to Elmhurst (based nr Lutterworth, Leicestershire) who are incredibly forward thinking and have been in the industry since the year dot. Or pick up a phone/write an email and talk to me (power of positive thinking - or wishful thinking).

I blogged today about the problems Australia is currently undergoing and the fact that training providers are still lurking all around the UK, the UK also don't know at the moment what will happen with the home energy advisors (please let it be open for DEAs first and only) and am now hoping that America does learn from what has happened here and in Australia and doesn't let training providers run riot, caps the amount of assessors there can be, promoted the energy assessment thoroughly and sets the fee to stop undercutting etc.

Energy efficency can be tangible, it is a selling point and it should be valued more than it is.

What can we learn from other countries?

I have been reading some of my favourite blogs this morning and looking for new information about what other countries are doing to reduce the energy usage of their privately owned properties. Whilst I was looking I found this: -http://www.energy-performance-certificates.org/blog/think-domestic-energy-assessors-have-it-bad. Its from Mike C's blog and is dated back in March of this year, Mike has tirelessly provided good, up to date information for DEAs and the general public with regards to the energy assessors industry within this country and is one of the people I admire.

"Australia’s Housing Sustainability Assessment Scheme (HSAS) launched in July 2009 to provide 360,000 homes with free energy assessments, allowing homeowners to qualify for an interest-free loan of up to AU$10,000 to pay for energy-efficiency improvements under its Green Loans Program, repayable over four years. " Mike goes on to explain that it was thought that this scheme would take over 4 years to complete and provide work for the assessors in Australia.

Fortunately the Australians did alot of things right such as:
1. Setting a fee (no undercutting or rogue traders over there)
2. Giving lots of promotion.
3. Only one accreditaton scheme.
4. Interest free loan to make the improvements (great idea and a good way to get people to carry out the improvements in my opinion)

Although there were also the problems with the fact that the accreditation scheme suspended new assessor registration and late payments by the government to the assessors. And once again those nasty training providers were at it again, the Australian government did not cap the amount of assessors needed leaving the assessors in much the same position as the ones here in the UK with too many assessors and not enough work - the only people to benefit from that have been (once again) the training providers.
What was nice to see though was this quote from the ASBA - "While it was not our role under the Federal Government protocol to limit the number of registrations, we became sufficiently concerned with the increased number of assessors seeking accreditation. Therefore we took the decision to limit the number of registrations pending while at the same time putting our concerns directly to DEWHA. "

Apparently though the assessors in Australia have a champion, who believe in speaking her mind clearly - Christine Milne, who is a Green Party MP. Its nice to see that they have some one fighting their corner.

In 2011 Australia is legislating for homes sold to have a certificate of environmental performance - I can only hope that they look at what has happened already with their assessors and limit the number accredited and continue to keep the fees fixed so that the assessors do not suffer the same fate as the DEAs in the UK.

There are many things that both countries can learn from one another and this is what I feel would help in both countries:
1. Set the fee
2. Watch the training providers
3. One overall governing body
4. Incentives to encourage energy saving
5. Promotion to encourage greater understanding of the certificate
6. An EPC should only be valid for 12 months - not 3 years for selling and 10 years for rental. It causes confusion.
7. Cap the amount of assessors.

Normal jitters

I have woken up this morning and am having my monthly worry about work loads - its quiet, too quiet - can I afford to continue with the job that I adore????

Since becoming self employed in January of 2008 I regularly panic about my workload, after all I have 3 children, 4 dogs and bills to pay, I need to make sure that my money is coming in. But this is a job I truly believe in, I love doing and it gives me time to spend with my children so what do you do? I make sure that my turnaround is within 24hours whenever possible and do my best to give good customer service and make sure that I am professional at all times so that I retain my existing clients which I consider essential.

The only part of my job I am not so keen on is chasing invoices - I hate it to be honest. I have only not been paid once and given the fact that I have been in business for nearly 3 years and only have one unpaid invoice thats not bad going! But when is too early to chase invoices and what is the polite way to do it? But as I said I am very lucky with my clients, they all pay on time (if not early) and are brilliant in that regard.

But what does get me at the moment is these facts:
1. Training providers are still advertising training courses for DEAs, "earn between 25,000 -30,000 a year" - thats simply not possible in the current climate. There are alot of DEAs that sunk retirement/redundancy/loans etc into training with training providers that promised them the moon, stars and sun and they have had to return back to previous methods of employment because the work simply isn't there and yet the training providers are still out there taking money off people.
2. Where is the unity with DEAs? There are several groups/organisations that are trying very hard to band DEAs together (I was involved with one of them) so that the self employed DEA can work together for better prices and better promotion but there isn't enough DEAs joining the groups.
3. Middlemen - there are too many firms out there offering cut price/ reverse auction EPCs to the general public but who pay the DEA a pittance. It isn't good for the industry, isn't professional and doesn't do any good for the pockets of the DEA.

There we go rant over for the morning, better go and do the school run x

Worry and dreams

I'm sitting here alone at my computer, kids are all organised so it is fairly peaceful in my house at the moment and I am having a moment of worry..........................do I do the RICs Associate course?
I have always wanted to be a chartered surveyor, I have put myself through numerous courses, studied into the early hours and then gone to work and looked after a small baby, took jobs I didn't really want that came with a paycut just to get more experience and I am now looking at the work required and wondering if I can do it?

I know I will buckle down and get on with it but its nice every now and again to remind yourself of how far you have come and that your dream is finally going to be within reach.

I have another dream and that is for the EPCs to be fully promoted within this country - the Green Deal brings with it a whole new range of possibilities, with a little tweaking the EPCs could provide the full advise to the householder/landlords and the Government would have an army of people who are already trained ready to go out and put that part of the Green Deal into motion.

DEAs have been promised the world by training providers (that mysteriously disappeared in the end) and there are still adverts/emails appearing offering people the chance of a fantastic new career within the energy assessing industry where as the actual truth is that there is already more than enough trained energy assessors within the UK and unless you are guaranteed work by a very trustworthy source then you really shouldn't train. I love my career and am very happy to do the work but at the moment I would advise people against paying any money to become a DEA.

I do hope that if any other country begins putting EPCs or something similar in place that they monitor the training providers and make sure that the trainee energy assessors are not taken for a ride.