HarrogateDEA

Harrogate DEA is an independant firm of  Domestic Energy Assessors ( DEAs )specialising in the production of Energy Performance Certificates (EPCs) on behalf of Home Information Pack (HIP) providers and the general public.

In accordance with the Housing Act  2004 and the Building Energy Performance Directive (EPBD) 2002, each report is carried out by a fully approved DEA,  accredited through  Elmhurst Energy Systems, a government approved accreditation body licenced by DEFRA.

This web site has been set up to help answer some of the many questions asked concerning HIP's and EPC's. If  you have any further questions or enquiries please do not hesitate to contact us.  All our contact details are listed on this site.

What is a HIP

Home Information Packs (HIPs) have been introduced by the Government with a view to speeding up the house selling process  and cutting down on duplication of paperwork .The aim of the packs is to give prospective buyers information on the property prior to them making an offer, so they know what they are buying, thereby cutting down on the amount of aborted sales.

So the packs will contain searches, evidence of title, statement  of sale etc, plus an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC).

The EPC is a Europe wide directive that states "when buildings are constructed, sold or rented out, an EPC ....is made available to prospective buyers or tenants.." The Government has added the EPC to the HIP to give the HIP more substance.

The packs will come into force for all properties from the 14th of December 2007, however a property can be marketed without a pack as long as one has been commissioned. The cut off point were a property must have a HIP prior to marketing is set for June 2008.

The survey for the EPC is carried out by a qualified inspector who has been accredited through the appropriate Government scheme. The information collected by the inspector is processed by a Government approved organisation to produce the performance ratings of the property along with a list of possible improvements. Both the inspector and the EPC supplier are regularly monitored to ensure that strict standards are maintained. The inspector will also have had to be checked  by  the Criminal Records Bureau.

What is an EPC?

An EPC gives performance ratings of a home's Energy Efficiency and Environmental Impact. The Energy Efficency rating is based upon a number of factors and the Enviromental Impact rating on carbon dioxide (CO2) emmissions, your 'Carbon Footprint'. (Factors taken into account shown in the 'Services' section of this website)

The ratings are shown as tables in the report similar to efficency charts for washing machines etc, with the current ratings for Energy Efficiency and Enviromental Impact  shown along side the potential rating. It is the difference between these readings which is important and will show if a property is performing to its full potential and wether any savings can be made.

As well as a summary of the property's current energy performance,  the report will also highlight steps that can be undertaken to improve these ratings, showing the potential change and savings for each recommendation.

These ratings are listed according to cost so under low cost measures there might be a recommendation to install low energy lighting, increase the hot water cyclinder jacket etc, whilst under high costs it may recommend upgrading the boiler or the heating control system.

Finally there is a section called Further Recommendations. These are more extreme recommendations such as switching to Solar Heating, Photo Voltaic Cells(Solar Electiricity), Double Glazing  etc.

Older properties will generally have lower ratings, as Building Regulations for Thermal Insulation are a relatively modern concept, however there potential ratings are usually lower as the report takes into account affordable recommendations and not the Further Recommendation for potential ratings.