Energy & Data Monitoring
Display Energy Certificates
What is a Display Energy Certificate?
Display Energy Certificates (DECs), and their accompanying advisory reports, are required for all ‘public’ buildings with floor areas greater that 1000m2.
For those affected, a DEC is required each year, whilst advisory reports are valid for 7 years.
Display certificates show the actual energy usage of a building and help everyone see whether public authorities are running the building to high standards of energy efficiency.
DECs reflect the actual energy used in a building and the CO2 emissions associated with that energy use (i.e. the ‘operational rating’). The DEC therefore rests on the energy data provided by the meters and submeters within a building.
The DEC measures the building’s actual performance based on metered energy usage. They are renewed annually. A DEC must be displayed publicly.
Unlike Energy Performance Certificates (EPCs), which use building simulation software to calculate building performance under a pre-defined set of standard operating conditions (i.e. the ‘asset rating’). They are not yet mandatory for private buildings or ‘public’ buildings having a floor area less than 1000m2. However, there are many reasons why the owners or operators of such buildings may want to collect the energy data provided by a building’s metering, such as controlling energy use and elimination waste, reducing utility bills and building operating costs, and reporting obligations under the carbon Reduction Commitment and for corporate Social Responsibility reports.
Buildings are responsible for almost 50% of the UK’s energy consumption and carbon emissions. The ways in which we light, heat and use our 25 million buildings all contribute to this. Even small improvements to the energy performance and the way we use our buildings could have a significant effect on our fuel bills and carbon emissions
Energy certificates allow a building’s energy performance to be measured consistently and objectively. This will help better performing buildings to attract a premium, thereby increasing the business case for energy efficient buildings.
Certificates grade a building’s energy performance on a scale from A - G. There are two types for commercial buildings:
