Global warming is something we’re all concerned about. We’ve seen the images of polar bears losing their habitats and experienced the fact that summer now consists of two weeks of unseasonable warmth in April then a miserable and grey June, July and August. Energy Performance Certificates have been brought in so that property owners can see where they are using too much energy and can make the appropriate alterations to their energy use in order to reduce emissions.

In 2007, Energy Performance Certificates were introduced as part of home information packs for houses with four or more bedrooms. In September of that year, this changed to houses with three or more bedrooms. These certificates are a result of the European Union Directive 2002/91/EC and commit the European Union to reducing carbon dioxide emissions by 8% by 2010. In the United Kingdom, this directive was detailed in part 5 of the Housing Act 2004. They provide estimations about how much energy is being wasted in a building and highlight the problem areas.

Many of us produce excess carbon dioxide without realising it, and these Energy Performance Certificates indicate areas in houses that are wasting energy and suggest ways to save that energy and therefore reduce carbon emissions. There are simple ways to reduce energy waste by doing things like turning things off fully rather than leaving them on standby, not leaving mobile phone chargers plugged in when they aren’t being used and having shallow baths rather than deep ones.

From April 2008, buildings that are not residential with a floor area greater than 500 metres sqaured; it was decided that commercial buildings required Energy Performance Certificates as these properties account for almost 25 per cent of overall UK carbon emissions. As Energy Performance Certificates display the estimated energy waste rather than the actual waste, public domains are required to have a Display Energy Performance Certificate which show exactly how much energy is being wasted and where.

As energy is something we can’t necessarily see, we don’t realise that we’re wasting it until we see the effects of it; it’s like seeing a broken window but being unable to find the exact stone that was thrown at it. Energy Performance Certificates may not be completely exact, but they are a very good indicator of areas where we aren’t being particularly careful with our energy usage. Knowing this can cause homeowners to be a bit more thrifty with their water, or invest in energy saving or low wattage light bulbs.

Due to global warming becoming such a massive issue, it is unsurprising that Energy Performance Certificates were introduced as a strategy to cut carbon emissions. Provided people take note of what their certificate says, we will be able to reduce energy waste drastically.

Dominic Donaldson is an energy expert.
Find out more about Energy Performance Certificates .

[tags]Energy Performance Certificates, EPC[/tags]