SUMMER EDITIONQUARTERLY NEWSLETTER JULY 2015

2 | JULY 2015 - Summer Edition - Issue 7

Stephen O’Hara, Managing Director of Elmhurst Energy.

Welcome to the summer edition of our

newsletter for Elmhurst’s members. After

the excitement of a general election in

the spring, we have seen few changes to energy

efficiency policy so far, which perhaps is as expected.

That said, in this newsletter we highlight some new

opportunities for Display Energy Certificate Assessors

and changes which will affect landlords and On

Construction assessors in Scotland.

With a lack of new policy, energy assessors need to rely more heavily on their network for

new business opportunities. To facilitate networking in our industry, we held the first TechNet

session at the beginning of June in Lutterworth. The next event, planned for Sevenoaks this

month is already fully booked. If you are interested in growing your network of contacts,

please take a look at our events timetable to book on to a session near you. See more on

TechNet at http://www.elmhurstenergy.co.uk/training/technet. I would also urge you to treat

with caution, some of the offers of lead generation services which you may be presented

with. Elmhurst Energy is not associated with any such schemes, so please check the validity

of these services before parting with any money.

In this issue, we reveal opportunities for new training, which as is the case for TechNet, is

increasingly being delivered at varied and convenient locations across the UK. Also please

look out for news of updates to our software; in particular our plans to integrate RdSAP

GO, our mobile app for Domestic Energy Assessors, with GO Capture,

our app for collecting and managing evidence.

As always, we appreciate any feedback on this newsletter or

any ideas you may have for future articles. Please send your

comments to me at info@elmhurstenergy.co.uk.

Introduction

JULY 2015 - Summer Edition - Issue 7 | 3

Contents

• A Landlord’s responsibilities to control Legionella 4

• Opportunity for DEC Assessors 6

• Demonstrate the value of energy efficiency products 7

• Non Domestic CPD Partnerships 8

• Treat lead generation deals with caution 9

• Regional events 9

• Scotland: Energy Efficiency Standard for Social Housing 10

• Ahead of the game: Updated Design SAP software 12

encompasses Code for Sustainable Homes and

Scottish Building Regulations changes

• Housing software updates to 9.92 13

• DEA Software timeline 14

4 | JULY 2015 - Summer Edition - Issue 7

The first thing to make clear is

that Health and Safety law does

not require landlords to produce a

‘Legionnaires testing certificate’.

Organisations, or self-employed

individuals, who provide residential

accommodation, are responsible for

ensuring that the risk of exposure

to Legionella in those premises is

properly assessed and controlled. All

water systems require an assessment

of the risk which they can carry out

themselves if they are competent, or

employ somebody who is.

In most residential settings, a simple

assessment may show that the risks

are low and no further action may

be necessary. If the assessment

shows the risks are low and are

being properly managed, no further

action is needed but it is important

to review the assessment regularly in

case anything changes in the system.

Where showers are installed, these

have the means of creating and

dispersing water droplets which may

be inhaled causing a foreseeable risk

of exposure to Legionella. However,

if used regularly (as in the majority

of most domestic settings) the risks

are reduced but in any case, tenants

should be advised to regularly

clean and disinfect showerheads.

Instantaneous electric showers pose

less of a risk as they are generally

A Landlord’s responsibilities to control Legionella

coldwater-fed and heat only small

volumes of water during operation.

It is important that water is not

allowed to stagnate within the water

system and so there should be

careful management of dwellings

that are vacant for extended periods

(e.g. student accommodation or

holiday accommodation that may be

left empty for extended periods).

Members who operate in the private rented sector are being asked what they know about Legionella and what landlords need to do to ensure legal compliance.

The Health and Safety Executive has published

guidance for landlords, free to download from HSE’s

website:

http://www.hse.gov.uk/legionnaires/faqs.htm

As a landlord, what are my duties?

http://www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/priced/hsg274part2.pdf

PDF - Paragraphs 2.138-2.146

Landlords are required to

understand, or employ a competent

person, to assess the risks of

Legionella in domestic rental

properties and decide on the action

necessary. To repeat, Legionella

testing will be required only in

exceptional circumstances and

generally not in domestic hot and

cold water systems.

JULY 2015 - Summer Edition - Issue 7 | 5

Responding to members, Elmhurst Energy has

designed its own one day training course which

provides information on Legionella and its causes,

including the current legislative requirements for the

control of Legionnaire’s Disease in rental properties.

The course includes a practical risk assessment

exercise and a short written test.

Course details:

• What is Legionella and where can it be found?

• Who is at risk?

• How the disease is transmitted and grows

• Statistics and history of outbreaks

• The Health & Safety at Work Act 1974

• The Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations 2002

• The Management of Health & Safety at Work Regulations 1999

• The Approved Code of Practice L8 2013 and other guidance

• The role of Duty Holders and Responsible Persons

• Control measures for hot and cold water systems

• Control measures for other systems

For more information visit the Elmhurst Energy

Training calendar.

6 | JULY 2015 - Summer Edition - Issue 7

Opportunity for DEC Assessors

We want to highlight a particular work opportunity for Display Energy Certificate (DEC) Assessors. Many public buildings with a floor area greater than 1000m2, which had DECs and Advisory Reports (ARs) completed in 2008/2009, will expire on their seventh annivesary and will need to be renewed.

Ideally this could be done when the

DEC is renewed so if you are being

asked to undertake a DEC assessment,

and the Advisory Report has some life

left, it might be worth suggesting to

clients that they renew a year early

when this year’s DEC is completed.

Whilst you will want to charge an

additional fee for completing an AR, by

also producing the DEC the client will

save money overall.

Remember, that for a DEC to be a valid

document, it must be accompanied

by a current AR so it is in the interest

of everyone to ensure that the AR is

renewed on time.

Please note that a site visit will

be required when completing a

replacement AR. Even when you have

been to the site in previous years, it is

not possible to complete a meaningful

AR without re-inspecting the building,

its services and its current management

practices. This requirement for site visits

has been recently confirmed by CLG

and is implemented by all Accreditation

Schemes.

In addition to this opportunity is a new

ruling affecting the scope of buildings

eligible for DECs and ARs. The

opportunity relates to the Statutory

Instruments 2012 No. 3118*, states

that from the 9th July 2015 buildings

occupied by public authorities and

frequently visited by the public of

more than 250 m2 and less than

500m2 will be required to have a valid

Display Energy Certificate (DEC) and

Advisory Report (AR); both of these

documents will be valid for 10 years.

DECs and ARs continue to be required

for eligible buildings of 500m2 –

1000m2 and are also for 10 years.

DECs for buildings of 1000m2 or more

remain valid for one year and the AR

for seven years. Please be aware that

ARs currently show validity of 10 years

when retrieved from Landmark but this

is not correct and we are told that it will

be rectified in due course.

This is an exciting business opportunity

for DEC assessors as there are many

thousands of buildings which will now

require a new or renewed DEC & AR.

*The Energy Performance of Buildings (England and

Wales) Regulations 2012, PART 3 Display Energy

Certificates

JULY 2015 - Summer Edition - Issue 7 | 7

Demonstrate the value of energy efficiency products

Elmhurst Energy has launched a new web tool helping businesses to demonstrate the value of energy efficiency products, taking the consumer through a simple survey which leads to recommendations.

By embedding the tool, called Green Check, into your

website, your visitors answer a short set of questions

which reveal the energy efficiency of their homes, the

improvements that would bring the most value and the

potential savings brought by installing home efficiency

products. Business Manager for Domestic Existing

Dwellings, Paul Mayne comments “The product is ideal

for installers and providers of efficiency products who

want to demonstrate the difference their products will

make to consumers’ efficiency and costs. It makes sense

for businesses which are marketing efficiency in areas

such as boiler replacement, cavity or solid wall insulation,

replacement windows and loft insulation. The tool can

be tailored to your brand and the survey data can also be

used as a non intrusive way of capturing customer data

for marketing and leads.”

Green Check is available for your website for as

little as £1 per click. For more information and a

detailed quote, email info@elmhurstenergy.co.uk

Or see the Green Check web page

http://www.elmhurstenergy.co.uk/software/lead-

generation-software

“The product is ideal for

installers and providers of

efficiency products who want to

demonstrate the difference their

products will make to consumers’

efficiency and costs.”

8 | JULY 2015 - Summer Edition - Issue 7

We are looking at several new partnerships to deliver new

CPD aimed at anybody involved with Non Domestic and

ESOS assessments. We have already partnered with global

sustainability consultancy, Ricardo-AEA and energy efficiency

experts, Mark Group Limited to deliver new training.

Non Domestic CPD Partnerships

The first course ran on 3rd June 2015, covering two topics;

Compressors and Compressed Air and Heat Generation,

Distribution and Recovery; delivered in partnership with

global sustainability consultancy Ricardo-AEA.

The course covered:

• An overview of the technology

• How does the technology work?

• What is it used for?

• Common issues/problems and how they are identified

• How can the technology be made more efficient?

• High level costs

• How this technology fits into the ESOS framework

Look out for future dates.

Held at Elmhurst Energy’s HQ in Lutterworth,

Leicestershire, the training courses cost £125

plus VAT for Elmhurst Energy members and £140

plus VAT for non-members to attend.

If you are interested in booking future events on

either of these topics, please email us at

info@elmhurstenergy.co.uk.

The second course, Energy Efficient Lighting, takes place

on 16th Sept 2015, and is delivered in partnership with Mark

Group Limited. With LED lighting becoming the light source

of the future, this course helps delegates understand:

• Different light source technologies

• Industry lighting terminologies

• Advantages and disadvantages of different light types

• Tips and tricks on how to identify light sources

• An introduction to lighting controls and control systems

• Project considerations when recommending an energy

efficient lighting scheme

The two courses each qualify towards five hours of a

delegate’s annual Continuing Personal Development

(CPD) requirement. The content of the courses are

relevant to ESOS lead assessors, non-domestic and DEC

energy assessors, facilities and energy managers and

anyone involved with the assessment of a commercial

facility or adoption of an energy efficient lighting system,

compressors or heat generation and recovery systems.

JULY 2015 - Summer Edition - Issue 7 | 9

Treat lead generation deals with caution

We have received a number of calls from members concerned about apparent ‘business opportunities’ where assessors are asked to pay a lump sum, up front, in return for business leads.

Whilst some of these may be genuine opportunities,

we recommend that you treat such offers with caution

and encourage members to thoroughly research the

details of the offer and likelihood of work, before parting

with any money. If necessary, you should also seek legal

advice before entering into a formal contract.

Please be aware that Elmhurst Energy does not operate

or endorse any such offers.

Should you have any concerns regarding calls or emails

from parties claiming to represent Elmhurst Energy, we

recommend that you contact our Existing Dwellings

Team on 01455 883257. We will be happy to confirm

whether or not the contact was genuine.

Regional events

In response to feedback from our members, Elmhurst Energy is pleased to be offering even more regional training events. A series of events across all strands has been scheduled to enable energy assessors to attend training events in their locality.

Elmhurst Energy will be visiting Belfast, Bristol,

Edinburgh, Exeter, Leeds, Manchester, Portsmouth,

Reading, Sevenoaks and Swansea. There will be

Masterclasses for DEAs, OCDEAs and DEC assessors.

Non Domestic Energy Assessor courses will take place

in Manchester and Edinburgh. There will be Domestic

Energy Assessor courses in Portsmouth, Belfast,

Reading, Manchester and Bristol. On Construction

Energy Assessor training will take place in Edinburgh

and Northern Ireland. Moreover, TechNet networking

events will also be hosted in Kent, Durham, Stirling,

Northern Ireland, Nottingham, and Cardiff.

Full details on these regional events can be found at

http://www.elmhurstenergy.co.uk/training-calendar

10 | JULY 2015 - Summer Edition - Issue 7

Scotland: Energy Efficiency Standard for Social HousingAs a result of consultations and impact assessments following the Climate Change (Scotland) Act 2009, the Scottish Government has set plans for Scotland to meet targets for reducing carbon emission levels.

The Scottish Government’s plans

include the Sustainable Housing

Strategy (SHS) which sets out a vision

for warm, high quality, affordable,

low carbon homes. It is relatively

easy as part of this process, to set

standards for new build, but the

plans encompass upgrading existing

dwellings. Consequently, the

Energy Efficiency Standard for Social

Housing (EESSH) has been developed

to help improve the energy efficiency

of the social housing stock in

Scotland.

Around 29 per cent of the energy

used in Scotland comes from

housing, including heating and

activities within the home like

cooking and running electrical

appliances. The single most

important way to reduce emissions

from housing, therefore, is to reduce

the energy consumption in homes,

which will make a significant

contribution to carbon reduction,

contributing to the targets set.

The EESSH will support the social

housing sector to lead the way in

the reduction of energy use and

greenhouse gas emissions. It will

also help address fuel poverty levels

in the social housing sector. All

social landlords will be expected to

achieve the new standards by 2020.

The Standard is based on minimum

Energy Performance Certificate

(EPC) Energy Efficiency (EE) ratings.

Landlords will be familiar with EPCs

as they are currently required to

provide prospective tenants with

energy efficiency information prior

to entering into a contract for rental.

Dwellings are graded on energy

efficiency and environmental impact

and are rated on a scale of 1 to 100 –

the higher the number the better the

standard.

From the below table it is apparent

that different standards will be set

for differing types of dwelling. The

rating will vary depending on the

house type and source of fuel to heat

the home. For example, a mid-floor

flat with gas central heating will be

expected to reach a SAP score of 69,

whereas a detached house with all-

electric heating must achieve 60.

To help Landlords plan for EESSH,

trials were carried out to provide

examples of how various measures

could improve the energy efficiency

of dwellings. Included with the

examples was the estimated cost

of planned improvement measures,

EE Rating (SAP 2009)*

Dwelling type Gas Electric

Flats 69 65

Four-in-a-block 65 65

Houses non-detached 69 65

Detached 60 60

*SAP 2009 has been superseded by SAP 2012. A conversion table

for the above values is currently being prepared by the Scottish

Government.

JULY 2015 - Summer Edition - Issue 7 | 11

the upgrade in SAP score likely to be

achieved by improving various types

of dwelling, and similarly the likely

reduction in carbon emissions.

Reviewing these examples revealed that

for flats the biggest improvements were

expected to be seen in older dwellings

on the top floor, because heat loss

is greater through a roof, rather than

another dwelling above. A pre-1919

solid wall ground floor could realise

carbon emission reductions of 17kg/m2/

year after the following changes:

• Replacement of old storage heaters

with-fan assisted storage models

with automatic charge control

• Replacement hot water Cylinder

with factory-applied foam increased

from 25 to 80 mm

• 100% low energy lighting

The same installations in a top floor flat,

with the addition of roof insulation to a

depth of 250mm reduced the emissions

by 77kg/m2/year.

The date for compliance of the required

levels for social housing is planned for

1st December 2020. Landlords in the

private rented sector are likely to be

required to meet similar standards, as

an outcome of consultations currently

being undertaken.

It is anticipated that Landlords may wish

to exceed the planned 2020 benchmark

to future-proof dwellings against higher

standards which may be introduced at a

later date.

The outcome of the planned energy efficiency improvement scheme is anticipated to not only reduce carbon emissions but also boost the Scottish economy by creating and sustaining jobs through activities like home insulation and developing new heating technologies.

View full details of these case studies here:

http://www.gov.scot/Topics/Built-Environment/Housing/sustainable/standard/consultationdraftsofcasestudies

12 | JULY 2015 - Summer Edition - Issue 7

Ahead of the game: Updated Design SAP software encompasses Code for Sustainable Homes and Scottish Building Regulations changes

Elmhurst Energy has made sure its

energy assessors and software users

are ahead of the game after updating

its Design SAP software to encompass

the Code for Sustainable Homes in

England, and changes to Section

6 (energy) of the Scottish Building

Standards.

It means energy assessors and other

users of the software can now take

these important changes into account

when calculating and reporting energy

rating performance for Scottish

dwellings. Elmhurst Energy was the

first approved organisation to receive

BRE Approval for calculations against

the Section 6 2015 standards.

Benefits of Elmhurst's Design SAP

Software include easy to follow

Building Regulations/Standards

compliance displays with results

displayed in ‘real time’, and Elmhurst

Energy’s leading U value calculator

with a comprehensive list of building

materials.

The software also allows assessors

to personalise reports with

company logos and details, update

multiple properties all at once and

automatically calculate linear lengths

for thermal bridging junctions. All

Elmhurst Energy software is fully

supported by the company’s industry

For more details, visit:http://www.elmhurstenergy.co.uk/software/energy-rating/on-construction-domestic-energy-assessor

“The updates will greatly benefit users and enable them to plan ahead, particularly regarding the impact of the new Scottish Building Standards, which are set to come into force in October 2015,”

Stephen O’Hara, Managing Director of Elmhurst Energy.

leading, high quality, experienced

technical support team. To find out

more through Elmhurst’s planned

webinars and face to face training,

visit the training calender at

http://www.elmhurstenergy.co.uk/

training-calendar

JULY 2015 - Summer Edition - Issue 7 | 13

Housing software updates to 9.92Elmhurst’s Streamline EPC, specialist

energy efficiency reporting and

analytical software for private and

social landlords, has been updated to

comply with the latest standards in

building efficiency reporting (RdSAP

9.92). The software update was

completed at the beginning of June

2015 with minimum impact to users

and provides the following changes:

• The conversion of all completed

surveys, from 9.91 to 9.92

• The introduction of a new ‘Import

External xml option

All changes to the Streamline EPC

software have been incorporated into

the new manual which is available

in the ‘Documents’ tab within the

software.

DEA Consultant, Michael Johnson

commented: “We are delighted by

the smooth running of the project to

update Streamline. Customers may

see a slight overall fall in SAP ratings

as a result of the changes which they

should bear in mind when running end

of year reports.”

He went on to explain: “A housing

stock containing largely gas fuelled

properties will see the average SAP

rating fall to a lesser degree than users

with mainly oil fuelled properties.”

Streamline EPC continues to be a

successful and valuable product for

landlords wanting to create large

volumes of Energy Performance

Certificates and Energy Performance

Reports. It also acts as a store for

this data as well as that related

to improvement measures and

recommendations.

See the full software feature list below:

Streamline EPC:

• Stores your EPC data in one place in

a way which can be used for energy

efficiency searches and analytics.

• Fully compliant and approved for

RdSAP 9.92 (the latest standard for

EPC software)

• Calculates average SAP, SAP

Variance, Fuel Bills and CO2

Emissions

• Allows various measures of energy

efficiency and inefficiency to

be searched by property type,

postcode, area

• Calculations of energy performance

reports (EPR) ratings for properties

included in licence fee.

• Imports external LIG XML files

facility available by request on 9.92

& 9.91 RdSAP.

• Data is easily exported to CSV to

share with Government bodies or

across your management team.

• Can be used to target and reveal

properties which are ripe for

retrofit or a particular improvement

measure.

• Will accurately model investment

scenarios based on legitimate and

approved SAP methodologies

• Simple, intuitive software supported

by technical support experts 7 days

a week.

For more information or to request a

software demo, visit the Streamline

http://www.elmhurstenergy.co.uk/

software/energy-stock-profiling/

streamline-epc

webpage or email

info@elmhurstenergy.co.uk

14 | JULY 2015 - Summer Edition - Issue 7

DEA Software timeline ...We will soon launch new versions of RdSAP GO and GO Capture which will allow the integration of the two applications into one for users...

• March 2015: launched GO Capture, another mobile application, this time enabling our

members to capture, annotate and organise their evidence at the property, assisting with QA.

• March 2015: RdSAP GO, our mobile RdSAP application for both Android and iOS/Apple

mobile devices is launched, giving assessors the option to complete their data entry onsite at

a property.

Planned software changes for DEAs:

• July 2015: RdSAP GO and GO Capture will be integrated to allow the seamless switch

between assessment data and evidence collection from RdSAP GO. Available for both

Android and iOS/Apple.

• By Autumn 2015: launch of Green Deal GO Software, a new application for producing Green

Deal Occupancy Assessments. Available for both Android and iOS/Apple.

...and the changes don’t stop there. By listening to our members we will continue to develop the

software range and simplify the assessment process in new ways, as we collect your ongoing

feedback.

Domestic Energy Assessors (DEAs) may be required

to use a uniform standard of assessment through

RdSAP, but over the years, that software has changed

dramatically and never more so than in the last 18

months. One of the most marked changes you will have

seen from Elmhurst Energy will have been the creation of

a flexible suite of free mobile software.*

You will see some exciting progress this summer as we

will soon launch new versions of RdSAP GO and GO

Capture which will allow the integration of the two

applications into one. Our timeline below illustrates the

recent journey in software development and what you

can expect this year:

• June 2014: Introduction of Elmhurst Sketch, a mobile application for the easy production

of professional style floor plans.

• August 2014: Introduction of new online software providing free and safe storage of

assessment related photography, called Evidence. Evidence assists members in backing up

and organising data for Quality Assurance (QA) purposes.

• November 2014: RdSAP upgraded to 9.92 (Elmhurst Energy is one of the first accreditation

bodies to have their software upgrade approved for release).

• November 2014: Green Deal online software is upgraded to 9.92

• December 2014: Green Deal Improvement Package tool is launched for amendments to

Green Deal Advice Reports.

20

14

20

15

*Users incur a monthly charge for the use of the Sketch software.

JULY 2015 - Summer Edition - Issue 7 | 15

Going on Holiday?To avoid returning to an overdue QA request, please remember to notify the QA Admin Team of your holiday dates.

Your holiday notification should be e-mailed to:

Domestic: dea-qa@elmhurstenergy.co.ukNon-Domestic: ndea-qa2@elmhurstenergy.co.ukOn Construction: ocdea-qa@elmhurstenergy.co.uk

Elmhurst Energy Systems Ltd. 16, St Johns Business Park, Lutterworth, Leicestershire, LE17 4HB

© Copyright 2015 Elmhurst Energy Systems Ltd

Tel: 01455 883 250 E: info@elmhurstenergy.co.uk