With the construction of housing on the increase in the UK, DEAs may wish to consider undertaking the On Construction qualification (OCDEA), which enables an EPC to be produced on a new dwelling.
DEAs are reminded that RdSAP is for existing dwellings only. Any dwelling created after lst May 2007 (Scotland), 1st April 2008 (in E&W) or 30th September 2008 (NI) and should have a certificate produced using full SAP methodology.
Remember! ‘An EPC’ is a generic phrase, and can mean both a full SAP certificate and one created for existing dwellings via RdSAP. If you are asked to supply ‘an EPC’, ascertain when the dwelling was built. If the answer is post the above dates, more investigation needs to be undertaken. Was a full SAP certificate created when the house or apartment was completed? If not, what are the circumstances? A full SAP EPC can be used for sale or rent in just the same way as the RdSAP version, and is valid for 10 years.
A reduced SAP EPC should only be produced on a dwelling which has recently been constructed if a full SAP certificate has previously been lodged on the National Registers – Landmark in EW & NI and EST in Scotland. Once the assessor has found that the dwelling concerned was built after the relevant dates, there are two possible courses of action, depending on the outcome of investigations:
(1) If a full SAP certificate is available, an RdSAP EPC can be created. Even on new houses, RdSAP is required for Feed-in-Tariff and Green Deal applications.
(2) If a full SAP was not created at the time the new build was completed, it will be necessary to find out why. The Conventions give the following guidance:
RdSAP is for assessment of existing dwellings only. Where an EPC is required for a new dwelling under building regulations it must be a SAP EPC. Any new dwelling, including dwellings created by change of use, must be assessed using SAP. For this purpose a new dwelling is, in England, Wales or Northern Ireland, one completed on or after the relevant date. In Scotland this applies to a new dwelling submitted for building warrant on or after the relevant date. The relevant date is 6 April 2008 in E&W, 30 September 2008 in NI, or 1 May 2007 in Scotland.
For a new dwelling, where no on-construction EPC has been lodged, a SAP EPC is still required, irrespective of whether the dwelling has been occupied. However, if
- the SAP data set is not available and the evidence for its lack of availability has been provided, or
- the SAP data set is available but the dwelling has been altered in such a way that the data is no longer applicable and the details of the alteration are unknown it can be assessed using RdSAP.
If no full SAP certificate has been created, evidence is required of the investigations carried out to trace one, and if no certificate can be found reasons given why full SAP was not completed along with the dwelling.
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