Implementation of the EPBD in 1. Introduction This report provides information about the implementation of the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (Directives 2002/91/EC and 2010/31/EU – EPBD) in Northern Ireland. It updates the previous UK‐wide reports published in 2010 and 2012. The implementation of the EPBD in the other three UK jurisdictions (England, Wales and Scotland) is addressed in separate reports. Northern Ireland (NI) has the smallest population of all UK jurisdictions, approximately 1.83 million (2.8% of the UK total population) [1] . Unlike Wales, Northern Ireland has had control of its own Building Regulations for many years. The first Regulations date back to 1972 and, prior to that, buildings were controlled through by‐laws and local Acts. The implementation of the EPBD in Northern Ireland is the responsibility of the Department of Finance and Personnel Northern Ireland (DFPNI) and is achieved through: > the Building Regulations* (Northern Ireland) 2012 (SR** 2012 No. 192); > the Building (Prescribed Fees) Regulations* (Northern Ireland) 1997 (SR 1997 No. 482); > the Energy Performance of Buildings (Certificates and Inspections) Regulations* (Northern Ireland) 2008 (SR 2008 No. 170). DFPNI relies heavily on the research and development from other UK jurisdictions (principally England) in the development of Regulations and technical guidance. This report introduces the most recent requirements. It also addresses certification and inspection systems including quality control mechanisms, the training of Qualified Experts (Energy Assessors), information campaigns, incentives and subsidies. For more details please visit the referenced websites or contact the responsible institutions. (*) This is the main Regulation. Subsequent amendments must also be considered, they include: The Building (Amendment) Regulations (Northern Ireland) (SR 2012 No. 375 and SR 2014 No. 44) and the Energy Performance of Buildings (Certificates and Inspections) (Amendment) Regulations (Northern Ireland) (SR 2008 No. 241, SR 2009 No. 369, SR 2013 No. 12 and SR 2014 No. 43). (**) SR = Statutory Rule. AUTHORS Lionel Delorme, AECOM John Neely, Department of Finance and Personnel Northern Ireland NATIONAL WEBSITES www.dfpni.gov.uk/articles/buildingregulationsnorthernireland www.dfpni.gov.uk/articles/energyperformancebuildingsnorthernireland [1] http://ons.gov.uk/ons/taxonomy/index.html?nscl=Population#tabdatatables STATUS IN DECEMBER 2014 Northern Ireland the United Kingdom
Transcript
Implementationof the EPBD in
1. Introduction
This report provides information about theimplementation of the Energy Performanceof Buildings Directive (Directives2002/91/EC and 2010/31/EU – EPBD) inNorthern Ireland. It updates the previousUK‐wide reports published in 2010 and2012. The implementation of the EPBD inthe other three UK jurisdictions (England,Wales and Scotland) is addressed inseparate reports. Northern Ireland (NI) hasthe smallest population of all UKjurisdictions, approximately 1.83 million(2.8% of the UK total population)[1].
Unlike Wales, Northern Ireland has hadcontrol of its own Building Regulations formany years. The first Regulations dateback to 1972 and, prior to that, buildingswere controlled through by‐laws and localActs. The implementation of the EPBD inNorthern Ireland is the responsibility ofthe Department of Finance and PersonnelNorthern Ireland (DFPNI) and is achievedthrough:
> the Building Regulations* (NorthernIreland) 2012 (SR** 2012 No. 192);
> the Building (Prescribed Fees)Regulations* (Northern Ireland) 1997(SR 1997 No. 482);
> the Energy Performance of Buildings(Certificates and Inspections)Regulations* (Northern Ireland) 2008 (SR2008 No. 170).
DFPNI relies heavily on the research anddevelopment from other UK jurisdictions(principally England) in the developmentof Regulations and technical guidance.
This report introduces the most recentrequirements. It also addressescertification and inspection systemsincluding quality control mechanisms, thetraining of Qualified Experts (EnergyAssessors), information campaigns,incentives and subsidies. For moredetails please visit the referencedwebsites or contact the responsibleinstitutions.
(*) This is the main Regulation. Subsequentamendments must also be considered, theyinclude: The Building (Amendment)Regulations (Northern Ireland) (SR 2012No. 375 and SR 2014 No. 44) and theEnergy Performance of Buildings(Certificates and Inspections) (Amendment)Regulations (Northern Ireland) (SR 2008No. 241, SR 2009 No. 369, SR 2013 No. 12and SR 2014 No. 43).
(**) SR = Statutory Rule.
AUTHORS
Lionel Delorme,AECOM
John Neely,Department ofFinance andPersonnel NorthernIreland
NATIONAL WEBSITESwww.dfpni.gov.uk/articles/buildingregulationsnorthernireland
DFPNI relies heavily on the research anddevelopment from other UK jurisdictions(principally England) in the developmentof Regulations and technical guidance. Assuch, the Northern Ireland Governmentimplements the constructionrequirements of the EPBD through aphased roll‐out of amendments to Part F(not Part L as in England) “Conservationof Fuel and Power” of its current BuildingRegulations which came into force on31 October 2012. These amendmentsfollow the standards of England’s Building
Regulations (Part L Conservation of Fueland Power) and associated guidance.Amendments to the Building Regulationswere introduced on 24 February 2014 tocomply with the obligations of Articles 4,6, 7 and 9 of Directive 2010/31/EU.Certification requirements are addressedin parallel legislation, the EnergyPerformance of Buildings (Certificates andInspections) Regulations (NorthernIreland) 2008 (as amended).
The Northern Ireland Government plansto amend the Part F technical standardsin November 2015 to at least match thelatest standards in England. The Ministerfor the DFPNI has committed to followmoves in England towards a Zero CarbonHomes standard post 2016 as shown inFigures 1 and 2. Details on how this willbe achieved are still not available.
Further, more rapid, changes to theBuilding Regulations will be required tomeet the EPBD requirements for NearlyZero‐Energy Buildings (NZEBs) for newGovernment buildings from 31 December2018, for all new buildings by 31 December2020, and to follow England’s drive tozero carbon housing for 2016. To thisend, DFPNI is re‐formatting technicalguidance to mirror the English Part L ofthe Building Regulations and has assignedresources to aid communication withregulators in other jurisdictions to morequickly implement subsequentamendments in the run up to 2018.
I.ii. Format of nationaltransposition and implementationof existing regulations
Technical Booklets F1 (new and existingresidential buildings) and F2 (new andexisting non‐residential buildings) (Figure3) support the implementation of theBuilding Regulations for the morecommon building situations. The bookletsinclude references to best practiceguides such as Eurocodes (EN). Anelemental approach is available forexisting buildings, and five criteria areset for new residential units (single‐family homes and apartments) and non‐residential buildings:
1. Ensure that the calculated Building CO2Emission Rate does not exceed theTarget Emission Rate.
2. Meet minimum acceptable standards(including minimum fabric, airpermeability, and building servicesefficiencies standards).
Figure 1:Residential Building
Regulationsimprovements(historical and
anticipated) for newbuildings in Northern
Ireland.
Figure 2:Nonresidential Building Regulations improvements
(historical and anticipated) for new buildings in Northern Ireland.
Figure 3:Technical Booklets F1& F2, Conservation of
fuel and power indwellings & buildingsother than dwellings,
3. Limiting the effects of solar gains insummer. This includes references toindustry best practice such as CIBSETM37 “Design for improved solarshading control”[3].
4. Ensuring the quality of construction andcommissioning (building envelope, airpermeability, commissioning fixedbuilding services and, in non‐residentialbuildings, air leakage testing ofductwork).
5. Provide instructions for the energy‐efficient operation and maintenance ofthe building.
Note that Internal Air Quality (IAQ) isaddressed under Technical Booklet K,Ventilation[4].
The National Calculation Methodology(NCM) implements these criteria. Forresidential units, the NCM is the StandardAssessment Procedure (SAP). Forbuildings other than residential, the NCMis the Simplified Building Energy Model(SBEM). Both NCMs use an Asset Ratingapproach, i.e., predicted energyconsumption based on standardconditions. The NCMs currently used inNorthern Ireland are SAP 2009 and SBEMV4.1e. These will be updated to thecurrent standards applicable in England(i.e., SAP 2012 and SBEM V5.2) as part ofthe next planned amendment by DFPNI inNovember 2015.
Compliance with the NCM and thecompliance criteria is demonstrated byusing UK Government‐approved softwaretools to model the building. The UKGovernment has developed softwaretools which are freely available. Otherproprietary software packages andinterfaces (e.g., Dynamic SimulationModels – DSMs) may be used for morecomplex buildings, providing they havebeen approved. These tools are also usedto produce Energy PerformanceCertificates (EPCs) on construction, saleand rent. A separate procedure has beenset to produce Energy PerformanceCertificates (EPCs) for display: theOperational Rating Calculation (ORCalc).
The Technical Booklets allow the use ofAccredited Construction Details (ACDs) todemonstrate compliance. NorthernIreland adopted the English ACDs[5].Figure 4 gives an example. Airtightnesstesting is required for most residentialand non‐residential developments. Some
developments may be exempted fromairtightness testing under particularcircumstances. For example, small non‐residential developments (less than500 m2) may choose to avoid air pressuretesting by assuming a permeability of15 (m3/h)/m2 at 50 Pa when calculatingthe building emissions.
In Northern Ireland, all BuildingRegulations applications and outputs aresubmitted to local District Councils forchecking and enforcement within theircouncil boundaries. Building controlofficers carry out site inspections toensure that works comply with BuildingRegulations and have the powers to servecontravention notices.
Building Regulations applications areaudited at the Local Government Grouplevel under the Local Government(Employment of Group Building ControlStaff) Order (NI) 1994. Audits are bothquantitative and qualitative. Qualitativereviews include sampling of residentialand non‐residential applications, whichare audited by Group Officers and reportfindings to Council Managers. Reviewsmay include site inspections and plansassessments. Reviews findings informfuture training priorities for BuildingControl staff. Quantitative reviews andstatistics relating to agreed KeyPerformance Indicators are reported byeach Group Chief.
Figure 4:Illustration from ACDfor pitched roof.Extracted from ACDsfor masonry externalwall insulation.
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I.iii. Costoptimal procedure forsetting energy performancerequirements
A UK‐wide cost‐optimal report waspublished in May 2013. Please refer to theEngland report for details.
I.iv. Action plan for progressiontowards Nearly ZeroEnergyBuildings (NZEBs)
National application of the NZEBdefinition
The UK national plan titled “Increasingthe number of Nearly Zero EnergyBuildings” covers all four jurisdictions:England, Wales, Northern Ireland andScotland. Please refer to the Englandreport for details.
NZEB statistics are not maintained inNorthern Ireland.
I.v. Implementation of the EnergyEfficiency Directive (EED)regarding building renovationand the exemplary role of publicbuildingsThe UK Department of Energy & ClimateChange (DECC) is responsible for thetransposition of the Energy EfficiencyDirective (EED) which will mostly beimplemented on a UK‐wide basis. In anumber of areas, where the DevolvedAdministrations in Northern Ireland, Walesand Scotland have responsibility forimplementation, they have opted topursue a UK‐wide approach, though insome areas implementation will beundertaken by the DevolvedAdministrations.
The UK National Energy Efficiency ActionPlan (NEEAP) was published in April 2014.It includes a Building Renovation Strategyin compliance with Article 4 of the EED.Northern Ireland’s policies andprogrammes to deliver this strategyinclude:
> the Northern Ireland’s Strategic EnergyFramework (2010);
> the Warm Homes and AffordableWarmth Schemes support fuel‐poorprivate households to make energyefficiency improvements;
> the Northern Ireland Sustainable EnergyProgramme (NISEP) provides grants forenergy efficiency and renewable energyschemes for residential and non‐residential buildings;
> the Northern Ireland Renewable HeatIncentive (RHI) supports non‐residential
renewable heat generators. A NorthernIreland residential RHI is due to belaunched by the end of 2014. ARenewable Heat Premium Payment isalso available for the residentialmarket;
> the Household Efficiency and Thermalimprovement Programme (HEaT) (aGreen Deal‐style mechanism for energyefficiency improvements) is currentlybeing developed;
> Northern Ireland is examining thepossibility of an energy efficiencysupplier obligation from 2016.
The UK decided to implement thealternative approach allowed for byArticle 5(6) and notified the Commissionof the alternative measures that will beadopted to achieve an equivalentimprovement in the energy performanceof the buildings within the CentralGovernment estate, which includesCentral Government buildings in England,and buildings for UK‐wide Governmentdepartments and in the DevolvedAdministrations. Alternative measuresinclude behavioural change, facilitiesmanagement, estate management,installing energy efficient InformationTechnology (IT) hardware, and installingenergy efficient technology. In NorthernIreland, an Energy Efficiency Plan for theGovernment Office Estate, covering theperiod 2011/2014, targeted a 10% energysavings against the 2010/2011 baseline.The Plan focused on three areas:reduction in the footprint of the estate,capital investments in energy efficiency,and behavioural change in staff occupyingbuildings. A new three year Plan is beingdeveloped for the period 2014/2017.
The NEEAP[6] includes further details ofother initiatives for all UK jurisdictions.
II. REQUIREMENTS FORTECHNICAL BUILDINGSYSTEMS (TBS)
II.i. Coverage of heating,domestic hot water,airconditioning and largeventilation systemsThe 2010 UK Domestic and Non‐domesticBuilding Services Compliance Guides applyin Northern Ireland. Please see details inthe England report.
Northern Ireland intends to adopt the2013 version of the UK Domestic and Non‐domestic Building Services Compliance
Guides as part of its 2015 BuildingRegulations amendments. This includesrequirements for boilers, heat pumps, Air‐Conditioning (AC) units, Domestic HotWater (DHW), heat recovery, specific fanpower, etc.
II.ii. Regulation of systemperformance, distinct fromproduct or whole buildingperformance
An approach similar to England wasadopted and is described in the TechnicalBooklets. See England report for details.The local District Council (theenforcement authority) must be notifiedon completion of commissioning so that aBuilding Regulations CompletionCertificate may be issued.
II.iii. Applicability to new,replacement and upgradedsystems in existing buildings
An approach similar to England wasadopted and is described in the TechnicalBooklets. See England report for details.Under certain circumstances (i.e., forlarge buildings greater than 1,000 m2,where the habitable area is extended, orwhere fixed building services are installedfor the first time, or their capacity isincreased), additional energy efficiencymeasures (named “consequentialimprovements”) must be undertaken asset out in the Technical Booklets forresidential and non‐residential buildings.
II.v. Provisions for installation,dimensioning, adjustment andcontrol
An approach similar to England wasadopted and is described in the TechnicalBooklets. See England report for details.
II.vi. Encouragement ofintelligent metering
For both residential and non‐residentialbuildings, an approach similar to Englandwas adopted and is described in theTechnical Booklets. See England report fordetails.
Technical Booklet F2 (non‐residentialbuildings) references industry bestpractice for the installation of meters,i.e., CIBSE TM 39 Building EnergyMetering.
In July 2012, the Northern Ireland Ministerfor Enterprise, Trade and Industryconfirmed that smart metering for homeswould be taken forward in NorthernIreland. Most householders will have smart
meters installed by their energy companybetween 2015 and 2020, although someenergy companies started to install smartmeters already in 2014.
II.vii. Encouragement of activeenergysaving control(automation, control andmonitoring)
An approach similar to England wasadopted. Provisions for effective controlof TBS are included in the BuildingRegulations and in the Technical Bookletsfor new and existing residential units andnon‐residential buildings.
III. ENERGY PERFORMANCECERTIFICATES (EPCs)REQUIREMENTS
III.i. Progress and current statuson sale or rental of buildings
Overview and administration system
The overarching systems in place areidentical across all building sectors and,in most instances, mirror or adopted theEngland and Wales provisions. NorthernIreland approved the same AccreditationSchemes, as those licensed in England andWales, to accredit Energy Assessors forthe production of outputs under theEnergy Performance of BuildingsRegulations in Northern Ireland, such asEPCs and Recommendations Reports.Please see details in the England report.
Regulatory outputs (e.g., EPCs,Recommendations Reports) produced byaccredited assessors are recorded on theNorthern Ireland registers. Individualoutputs may be retrieved from theregister by members of the public usingthe building’s address, postcode, or theoutputs’ unique reference number.Selected organisations have access tolimited data in bulk, and anyone with anEPC can opt‐out of having their datapublicly available. The Northern Irelandresidential buildings register is accessiblevia www.epbniregister.com and theNorthern Ireland non‐residential buildingsregister (EPC and AC inspection reports)at www.epbniregisternd.com.
How flats are certified in apartmentbuildings
The Northern Ireland approach is similarto England (i.e., an EPC must be producedfor each residential unit (single‐familyhome or apartment). Please see Englandreport for further details.
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> Residential: The EPC provides an assetrating (i.e., a calculated energy rating)of the current and potential energyefficiency of the building on a scalefrom A to G (see Figure 5). A is veryefficient and G is the least efficient.This asset rating is based on thecharacteristics of the building itself, itsservices, a standardised occupancyprofile and the building’s estimatedenergy consumption cost. At the end of2014, the average EPC rating for aresidential unit in Northern Ireland isband D rating 60.
The first page of the EPC for newresidential units is shown in Figure 6.The EPC for existing residential units isvery similar, although it excludes the“Typical new Build” benchmark. Theresidential EPC also contains anenvironmental impact rating (Figure 7),which is a measure of the impact of theresidential unit on the environment interms of carbon dioxide (CO2)emissions. The EPC includes a list ofcost‐effective recommendationsspecific to the residential unit toimprove the energy ratings, andindicates the potential energyefficiency and environmental impactratings if all cost‐effective measureswere installed.
> Non‐residential: The EPC for non‐residential buildings is identical toEngland and Wales except for thereference to Northern Ireland(Figure 8).
EPC activity levels
As in England and Wales, asset ratingbased EPCs are produced for buildings onconstruction, sale and rent, andoperational rating (i.e., measured energyrating) based certificates (Display EnergyCertificates – DECs) are produced anddisplayed in large public buildings (seedetails in section II.). Both residentialand non‐residential EPCs are valid for 10years. All EPCs become legally valid afterthey have been recorded on the nationalregister.
Most EPCs recorded on the NorthernIreland register are freely accessible tomembers of the public through anaddress search (unless the building owneropts out), or through a unique referencenumber search. Historical data to August2014 is included in Tables 1 and 2,Figures 9 and 10.
Typical EPC costs
The cost of certificates varies greatly.Indicative starting costs, i.e., lowestmarket costs (based on internet search inJuly 2014) are:
> for residential buildings: ca. 50 £(ca. 63 €) ;
> for non‐residential buildings: ca.200 £ (ca. 252 €).
The above costs include the registrationfee payable each time an EPC is recordedon the Northern Ireland register. Thesefees are aligned on England and Walesregistration fees.
Figure 5:Residential EPC
bands, asset ratings,and examples of
current and potentialratings.
Figure 7:Residential EPC,
environmental impactrating.
Figure 6:First page of a
residential EPC.
Figure 8:First page of non
residential EPC.
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Assessor corps
The England and Wales NationalOccupational Standards (NOS) wereadopted in Northern Ireland (see Englandreport for details). Table 3 details energyassessor types and numbers notified tothe Northern Ireland registers as of31 August 2014. Assessors accredited tooperate in England and Wales are alsoaccredited to operate in Northern Ireland.
Minimum Continuous ProfessionalDevelopment (CPD) requirements are alsospecified. Typically assessors mustdemonstrate attendance at 10 to 20 hoursof CPD per year. If the CPD requirement isnot met, penalties include temporaryexpulsion from the Accreditation Scheme,which prevents the Energy Assessor fromproducing EPCs.
Compliance levels by sector
District Councils are responsible forenforcing the Energy Performance ofBuilding Regulations 2008 (as amended)for buildings within their district areas.DFPNI is responsible for enforcement inrespect of District Council buildings.DFPNI funds a central team, locatedwithin Belfast City Council, whichundertakes awareness‐raising activities,provides a telephone helpline,coordinates and reports on complianceactivities undertaken by District Councils.DFPNI undertakes compliance checks onDistrict Council buildings and conductsaudits on a quarterly basis. For the periodApril to June 2014, District Councilsreported that EPC compliance levels were98% for the completion of new build andmodified properties, 71% for estate agentsvisited, and 93% for websiteadvertisements. The compliance level forDECs in the audited buildings of fourDistrict Councils was 100% at the end ofAugust 2014.
Enforcement with building owners andreal estate actors
District Councils are the enforcementauthorities in their respectivejurisdictions. They have the powers to
Table 2:Nonresidential EPCsto August 2014,Northern Ireland.
Figure 9:Residential EPCs toAugust 2014,Northern Ireland.Percentages by EPCband.
Figure 10:Nonresidential EPCsto August 2014,Northern Ireland.Percentages by EPCband.
Table 3:Energy Assessorsqualifications andnumbers, on31 August 2014,Northern Ireland.
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require the “relevant person” (i.e., theseller of the building, or the prospectivelandlord) to produce copies of the EPC forinspection and to take copies if necessary.In 2013 these powers were extended toinclude the “relevant person’s agent” forexample Estate or Letting Agents.
Penalties vary depending on the type ofbuilding:
> for residential properties the penalty is200 £ (ca. 250 €);
> for non‐residential properties the penaltyis a sum equivalent to 12.5% of therateable value of the building, subject toa minimum of 500 £ (ca. 625 €) and amaximum of 5,000 £ (ca. 6,250 €)depending on the net annual value of the“hereditament” (generally, the rentalvalue of the building).
District Councils operate a two‐stageenforcement letter process to encouragecompliance prior to a penalty chargenotice being issued. At the end of July2014, over 4,300 such letters had beenissued. At the time of writing this report,the Northern Ireland Government is notaware of enforcement proceedings orpenalties paid for non‐compliance sincethe coming into force of the EPCrequirements in 2008. While a number ofpenalty charge notices have been issued,all have been withdrawn because thecertificate was then obtained or theproperty removed from the market priorto completion of the transaction.
Quality Assurance (QA) of EPCs
Accreditation Schemes operating inEngland and Wales are also approved tooperate in Northern Ireland. At the end of2014, there are no Accreditation Schemesapproved to operate in Northern Irelandonly. Therefore, Northern Ireland benefitsfrom the QA requirements (i.e., theScheme Operating Requirements – SORs)implemented in England and Wales (seethe England report for details).
III.ii. Progress and current statuson public and large buildingsvisited by the public
Overview
Display Energy Certificates (DECs) areissued and displayed in buildings largerthan 500 m² that are occupied by a publicauthority, and are frequently visited bymembers of the public. This threshold willfall to 250 m² from 9 July 2015. A DEC isvalid for one year and the accompanyingAdvisory Report is valid for seven years.
From February 2013, it is a requirementfor all non‐residential buildings over500 m2 that are frequently visited by thepublic to display an EPC where one isproduced for that building, or buildingunit, for the purposes of its construction,sale or rent (Table 4). Relevant buildingsinclude banks, cinemas, shops,restaurants, etc. The EPC is to bedisplayed in a prominent place where it isclearly visible to members of the publicwho visit the building. Details of the non‐residential EPCs are provided in sectionIII.i.
EPCs are based on an Asset Ratingapproach, i.e., predicted energyconsumption based on standardisedconditions, while DECs are based on anOperational Rating approach, i.e.,measured energy consumption which isnormalised to allow cross‐sectorcomparison.
Format and content of the EPC
Except for a reference to NorthernIreland, the DECs used in Northern Irelandare the same as those in England andWales. Please see the England report fordetails.
Activity levels
DEC data to 31 August 2014 is included inTable 5 and Figure 11.
Table 4:Energy performance
displayrequirements.
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Costs
The cost of DECs varies greatly. Indicativestarting costs, i.e., lowest market costs(based on internet search in July 2014) isabout 200 £ (ca. 250 €). This cost includesthe registration fee payable each time aDEC is recorded on the Northern Irelandnon‐residential buildings register. This feeis aligned on the England and Walesregistration fee.
Assessor corps and Quality Assurance(QA) of EPCs
The administration processes (EnergyAssessors accreditation, quality assurance,etc.) are the same as those applied inEngland. Please see the England report fordetails.
From February 2013 Regulations (SR 2013No. 12) mandate that a property (orbuilding unit) cannot be advertised forsale or rent without an EPC. Estate orLetting Agents (acting on behalf of sellersor landlords) must be satisfied that an EPCis available, or has been commissioned,before the property is marketed.
Any commercial media used to advertise aproperty (such as brochures, leaflets,websites or classified ads) must containthe coloured bar chart energy indicatorfrom the EPC. Where there is not enoughspace to include the colour coded chartenergy indicator on advertisements, theEPC energy rating must be stated, e.g.,EPC F36.
The landlord or seller must ensure that acopy of the EPC is shown, free of charge,to interested parties when they first makean enquiry about the property. For detailsabout enforcement and penalties, pleaserefer to section III.i.
III.iv. Information campaigns
Since the introduction of the EPBDrequirements in 2008, informationcampaigns have used a diversity of outlets
including website, advertising (throughradio, press and information leaflets)(Figure 12), targeted seminars, guidancedocuments, roadshows, and proactiveenforcement by a dedicated team.Information is also available from theDFPNI website[8] .
Other initiatives to improve the energyefficiency of buildings have benefitedfrom publicity campaigns such as those
[7] Full version available at www.dfpni.gov.uk/publications/energyperformancecertificatequickguideleaflet[8] www.dfpni.gov.uk/articles/energyperformancecertificates[9] www.nidirect.gov.uk the official Northern Ireland Government website for citizens
Figure 11:Display EnergyCertificates (DECs)to August 2014,Northern Ireland.Percentages by DECband.
Table 5:Display EnergyCertificates (DECs)to August 2014,Northern Ireland.
Figure 12:EPC informationleaflet cover [7].
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(Figure 13) and Invest NI’s resourceefficiency programme[10] which delivers arange of support to help companiesimplement resource and energy efficiencycost saving opportunities.
III.v. Coverage of the nationalbuilding stock
This section is adapted from the UKNational Energy Efficiency Action Plan(NEEAP) and gives a statistical overview ofthe main features of the building stock inthe UK. The UK’s building stock, includingthe building stock in Northern Ireland,varies widely both in age and type. Thedata presented in Figure 14 is taken fromthe Northern Ireland national register ofEPCs. EPCs are only required underspecific circumstances so this is not fullyrepresentative of all building types.
The UK has 27 million homes, across awide range of housing types, of whichapproximately 0.76 million are inNorthern Ireland. Figure 14 shows thedistribution of about 317,000 residentialEPCs in Northern Ireland.
There are over 1.8 million non‐residentialpremises in the UK, which are responsiblefor around 17% of the total UK energyconsumption. Of the non‐residentialpremises, 72,500 are in Northern Ireland.Specific data for the energy efficiencyrating by building type in Northern Irelandis not available.
The numbers of EPCs issued in NorthernIreland in 2013 (for new and existingbuildings) were: 93,186 residentialbuilding EPCs, 3,169 non‐residentialbuilding EPCs, and 1,802 DECs.
IV. INSPECTIONREQUIREMENTS – HEATINGAND AIRCONDITIONING (AC)SYSTEMS
The UK (England, Wales, Scotland andNorthern Ireland) adopted alternativemeasures for heating systems andinspections for Air‐Conditioning (AC)systems. Please refer to the Englandreport for details of the heating systemsmeasures. Heating systems measuresspecific to Northern Ireland include theWarm Home scheme (for advice andinsulation/heating measures), a boilerreplacement scheme (for low incomehouseholds), the Northern IrelandHousing Executive advice andinformation line, etc.
The Northern Ireland arrangements for ACinspections mirror the English provisions.For example, Northern Ireland approvedthe same Accreditation Schemes as thoselicensed in England and Wales to accreditEnergy Assessors for the production of ACinspection reports.
Provisions that are specific to NorthernIreland include:
> The mandatory registration of ACinspection reports on the NorthernIreland EPC Register from February2013. In 2013, 310 AC inspection reportswere registered, while in the periodFebruary 2013 to August 2014, morethan 730 reports were recorded in total.
> A range of activities have beenundertaken in Northern Ireland topromote the AC inspections including anEnergy Wise media campaign with radiocoverage, posters and leaflets,workshops and presentations to keystakeholders groups, e.g., heating andventilation contractors.
District Councils are responsible forensuring that owners of AC systems (over12 kW) are in possession of a validinspection report, except for their ownbuildings for which DFPNI is theenforcement authority.
The penalty for failing to ensure that anaccredited Energy Assessor inspects an ACsystem every five years or failing topossess a valid inspection report is300 £ (ca. 375 €).
District Councils have a two‐stageenforcement letter process to encouragecompliance prior to a penalty chargenotice being issued. To date, 42 suchletters have been issued. At the time ofwriting, DFPNI is not aware of penaltiesimposed for non‐compliance since thecoming into force of the AC requirements.
Impact assessment
Two Regulatory Impact Assessments(RIAs)[12] were undertaken. One in 2008for the transposition of the EPBD,Directive 2002/91/EC, another in 2013 forthe transposition of the Directive2010/31/EU and other amendments.
The costs of the mandatory inspection ofAC systems over 12 kW every five yearsand reporting were estimated at 600 £(ca. 750 €) for a centralised system, and100 £ (ca. 125 €) for packaged units. Theprincipal benefit of AC inspections wasexpected to arise from the improvedefficiency and reduced electricityconsumption of existing and new systemsif the recommendations included in theinspection report were implemented.Benefits were deemed difficult toquantify accurately, but very large energysavings were expected from thereplacement of older systems. Otherbenefits such as improved workplaceconditions were also expected.
Mandating the recording of AC inspectionreports on the national Northern Irelandregister was expected to bring together acentral source of information on ACsystems in buildings and to improve themeasurement of compliance. Costs wereestimated at 15 £ (ca. 19 €) statutory feeper registration, plus the AccreditationScheme fee. From April 2014, the fee forregistering an AC report on the non‐residential register decreased to 9.73 £(ca. 12.5 €).
3. A success story in EPBDimplementation
In Northern Ireland, the DFPNI funded adedicated EPB Enforcement Team (theEPB Team) in April 2010. The EPB Teamcoordinates and facilitates cross‐councilworking and delivers awareness‐raisingactivities, with the aim of ensuringconsistency in approach and messagingacross the 26 council areas.
DFPNI carried out audits of four DistrictCouncils during 2013 ‐ 2014. This includedan assessment of the effectiveness of theEPB Team such as raising awareness ofchanges in legislation, assisting in thesetting up of databases, checkingcompliance of estate agents whenmarketing properties for sale, display ofEPCs and identifying properties with AC toassist councils in meeting theirenforcement responsibilities. The auditscarried out by DFPNI confirmed that theguidance and support provided by the EPBTeam was very beneficial to councils. Theteam also provides DFPNI with quarterlyreports detailing enforcement activitiesacross councils and is the single point ofcontact for councils to help reduce theiradministrative burden.
District Councils reported a 98% EPCcompliance for new buildings and modifiedproperties in the quarter ending June2014. The percentage compliance of EPCsadvertised in commercial media increasedthroughout 2013, from 41% in the firstquarter to 92% in the final quarter. ACcompliance also rose substantially from14% for the year ending March 2013 to 81%for the year ending March 2014.
Given the success of the EPB Team todate, DFPNI has secured funding toenable them to continue to operate overthe period of the Local Governmentreform process which will result in thenumber of District Councils reducingfrom 26 to 11 in 2015.
4. Conclusions, future plans
The UK is divided into four jurisdictions:England, Wales, Scotland and NorthernIreland. In some instances the mix ofapproaches transposing the requirementsof the Energy Performance of BuildingsDirective (EPBD) differs between
[12] RIAs are available atwww.dfpni.gov.uk/consultations/2012consultationenergyperformancebuildingscertificatesandinspectionregulations
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jurisdictions. In other cases similarapproaches were adopted by two or morejurisdictions.
Northern Ireland is the smallestjurisdiction of the UK (with the smallestpopulation, least number of homes, etc.).It relies heavily on the research,development and Regulations from otherjurisdictions (principally England) for thedevelopment of its own Regulations andtechnical guidance. To date, NorthernIreland has adopted the majority of theEnglish provisions to transpose the EPBDand Northern Ireland Ministers havecommitted to follow moves in Englandtowards Zero Carbon Homes.
Northern Ireland has also developed andimplemented measures specific to itsjurisdiction, including Air‐Conditioning(AC) inspection information campaigns,and a successful compliance andenforcement approach which includes atwo‐stage enforcement letter process anda Department‐level coordination/enforcement team.
The transposition of the EPBD andassociated benefits have been andcontinue to be reviewed by each UKjurisdiction as part of their respectiveprogrammes to achieve national energyefficiency objectives and carbonemissions reduction.
The sole responsibility for the content of this report lies with the authors. It does notnecessarily reflect the opinion of the European Union. Neither the EASME nor theEuropean Commission are responsible for any use that may be made of the informationcontained therein.
