Epbd Requirements For Experts - Eu Case Studies

[Experts and Inspectors]

P144 13-01-2009

Elena Olloqui & Richard Hartless Building Research Establishment, BRE UK www.buildingsplatform.eu

Requirements for experts to issue Energy Performance Certificates: case studies from some Member States Article 10 of the EPBD is concerned with the requirements of experts and inspectors. The objective of this Information Paper is to provide an update on the progress being made in implementing Article 10 and to illustrate this with case studies from a selection of Member States with regard to issuing Energy Performance Certificates (EPCs). This Information Paper is supported by Information Paper P143 which is a general paper on the requirements of experts and inspectors. There is also a companion paper to this, P145, which provides examples of the requirements for inspectors of boilers and air conditioning systems. 1>

Accreditation system

Article 10 establishes the need for Member States (MSs) to identify and develop mechanisms by which building certification, inspection of boilers and heating systems and inspection of air conditon systems will be carried out. It highlights the main requirements that certification systems and experts must address. The accreditation system is normally developed in collaboration with existing accreditation bodies, professional institutions and other organisations in each Member State. This may involve accreditation of certifiers as well as accreditation of the trainers, that may operate at a regional or local level. An accreditation procedure structure at several levels is common, as illustrated by the accreditation process followed in France. At Level 1 a certified person or organization delivers an energy performance certificate to a client (e.g. building owner), while at Level 2 a certification body certifies a person or organization for an energy performance activity. Finally in Level 3, the accreditation body, Cofrac, Comité français d'accréditation, delivers the relevant accreditation to an organization for its personnel certification activity.

France: three level accreditation process

Source: Enper-Exist, Work Package 2 final report available at http://www.enper-exist.com/results.html

Another multi-level process will operate in England and Wales where several accreditation bodies are in place which are able to register individuals with relevant skills and qualifications as domestic energy assessors. These in turn provide energy assessments and issue energy performance certificates to clients. The relevant government department identifies minimum standards and designates the accreditation bodies. Currently, there are 9 accreditation bodies within the accreditation scheme for existing dwellings. As part of the implementation of the EPBD, other accreditation schemes are being developed which include air conditioning, inspections and the certification of newly constructed dwellings, public buildings and buildings other than dwellings. It is envisaged that a register of energy certificates that are issued will be kept and managed either centrally by the government and/or by the designated accreditation bodies. In Slovenia, qualified experts must apply to the relevant ministry for a licence to be able to carry out the energy certification for clients. The ministry maintains the register for issued licences. Energy certificates will be prepared by the licensed independent experts and issued by authorized companies, as energy certificates will be public documents. In many MSs it appears that accreditation is being ultimately awarded to individuals for issuing energy certificates, but in other States organisations are also considered for accreditation as an entity. This is the case in Sweden, where the accreditation system being considered requires certified experts from an accredited company, whereby to obtain such accreditation, the company needs to have at least one certified expert in a leading position.

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Qualification requirements

The EPBD does not indicate the requirement of specific qualifications or skills apart from the need to carry out certification and inspections via qualified and/or accredited experts. Therefore, each MS may identify the specific level of skills and qualifications required to become an expert and be able to issue energy certificates. Some MSs are applying high levels of qualifications and training, with some including additional training and examinations and sometimes also minimum periods of experience in order to become qualified experts. Other States allow experts to become qualified more easily depending on the level of experience and qualifications they already have. Slovenia for example, requires an engineering degree in technical studies and architecture (5 years study and/or 3 years professional study and professional degree diploma in technical education engineering or architecture), with a requirement for a minimum 5 years of working experience in their own professional area. In addition, there is an obligatory training course and examination as a precondition to obtain the state licence for assessors, which must be renewed every 5 years. Bulgaria requires energy assessors to be natural or legal persons who are accredited by the national accreditation body, are registered under Commercial Law and have the necessary measurement tools. They must have either a higher technical education and not less than three years of practice in their speciality, or a graduated high technical education and not less than 6 years of practice. In addition, they must complete a training course on building auditing and certification. In England and Wales, an assessor issuing energy performance certificates is required to have both appropriate qualifications or competence and accreditation. Usually, an assessment is required to prove competence in the use of the calculation procedures and tools to obtain accreditation as an energy assessor. Experts with relevant qualifications or prior experience may become accredited upon review of their qualifications and other checks such as criminal record and financial probity confirmations.

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Independence

Independence is another key feature in Article 10. Once again, MSs can define how independence is achieved, provided the Commission is satisfied that it meets the requirements of the Directive. Some MSs are defining this requirement as requiring building certification and/or plant inspection to be undertaken by a person who is entirely independent of the building owner or occupier. This is the situation in Slovenia, where assessors will not be able to issue energy certificates in cases where they are involved or connected with the project investors according to the Income Tax Act. Designers are therefore not allowed to certify their buildings. This is also the case in Bulgaria, were assessors must not have participated (including hired staff) into the design, construction and exploitation of buildings which are subject to certification. On the other hand, in England and Wales, assessors may be in-house staff assessing buildings owned by their employers (or staff of EPBD Buildings Platform > P144_EN_Requirements for experts-Case studies

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contracted service providers). The accreditation scheme to which they belong must ensure that they operate in an acceptably independent manner. This usually includes requirement by the assessor to provide reporting of declaration of interests as part of each assessment and a periodic review of random samples of assessments by the accreditation body to ensure compliance with standards.

http://www.epbd-ca.org/

Concerted Action, a major initiative funded by the Intelligent Energy Europe (IEE) programme with the aim to promote dialogue between Member States in order to assist in transposition of the EPBD, has now published its final report which concludes that, in order to avoid any conflict of interest, Member States should develop a robust and fair certification scheme which should include Quality Assurance systems. In this context, governments should ensure that assessments and inspections are carried out and certificates and recommendations for improvements are issued in an objective and fair/ consistent manner

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Case studies from Member States

The following case studies provide an overview of different approaches to the implementation of the requirements of Article 10 with specific focus on EPCs.

Bulgaria - Energy Certification Accreditation of experts The accreditation process has been developed within the Energy Efficiency Act and its regulatory framework, where a clause provides a requirement for energy efficiency audit performance by persons accredited by a national accreditation body. Qualification requirements Energy assessors must be natural or legal persons who are accredited by the national accreditation body, are registered under Commercial Law and insured and have availability of the necessary measurement tools. They must have either a higher technical education and not less than three years of practice in their speciality, or a graduated high technical education and not less than 6 years of practice. In addition, they must complete a training course on building auditing and certification. Independence Energy assessors must not have participated (including hired staff), into the designing, construction and exploitation of the buildings, which are subject of certification.

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UK - England and Wales – Energy Certification Accreditation of experts Several accreditation bodies are in place which are able to register individuals with relevant skills and qualifications as domestic energy assessors. These in turn provide energy assessments and issue energy performance certificates to clients. The relevant government department identifies minimum standards for and designates the accreditation bodies. Currently, there are 9 accreditation bodies within the accreditation scheme for existing dwellings. As part of the implementation of the EPBD, other different accreditation schemes are being developed which include air conditioning, newly constructed dwellings, public buildings and buildings other than dwellings. Qualification requirements An energy assessor issuing energy performance certificates is required to have both appropriate qualifications or competence and accreditation. Usually an assessment is required to prove competence in the use of the calculation procedures and tools to obtain accreditation as an energy assessor. Experts with relevant qualifications or prior experience may become accredited upon review of their qualifications and other checks such as criminal record and financial probity confirmations. Independence Responsibility for independence is placed with the accreditation schemes. Assessors may be in-house staff assessing buildings owned by their employers (or staff of contracted service providers) whereby the accreditation scheme to which they belong must ensure that they operate in an acceptably independent manner.

Slovenia - Energy Certification Accreditation of experts Energy certificates will be prepared by licensed independent experts and issued by authorized companies, as energy certificates will be public documents. The implementation of the EPBD in Slovenia is the responsibility of the Ministry of the Environment and Spatial Planning. Qualification requirements The amended Energy Act (11/2006) defined the obligatory qualification for assessors which includes an engineering degree in technical studies and architecture (5 years study and/or 3 years professional study and professional degree diploma in technical education - engineering or architecture), with a requirement for a minimum 5 years of working experience in their own professional area. In addition, there is an obligatory training course and examination as a precondition to obtain the state license for assessors. Independence

In order to ensure the condition of independence, assessors will not be able to issue energy certificates in cases where they are involved or connected with the investors according to the Income Tax Act. Designers are therefore not allowed to certify their

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buildings, contrary to the proposal from the BUDI team, who believed that the designers with the state exam (certified engineers) would be bound to professionalism through the Building Construction Act. 5>

Sources and related links

BUDI (Take-off of the Building Directive) final report. Available at http://www.buildingdirective.org/important-results/content.html o Bulgaria – general information on national and international activities, Concerted Action – http://www.epbdca.org/Medias/Pdf/3_CO_Information_BG_Accreditation.pdf?OpenDoc ument o Country report IP12: Implementation of the EPBD in Slovenia: Status August 2006. Available at http://www.buildingsplatform.eu/epbd_publication/doc/P12Slovenia _p2578.pdf o Country report IP47: Implementation of the EPBD in Sweden: Status and planning. Available at http://www.buildingsplatform.eu/epbd_publication/doc/P47_EN_Swe den_May2007%20_final__p2807.pdf o Country report IP50: Implementation of the EPBD in England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland: Status Sep 2007. Available at http://www.buildingsplatform.eu/epbd_publication/doc/P050_EN_Un itedKingdom_Sep_2007_p2845.pdf

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Department for Communities and Local Government (CLG) Available at http://www.communities.gov.uk/planningandbuilding/theenvironmen t/energyperformance/energyassessorqualification/ o eEBD (Electronic Energy Buildings Directive). Available at http://www.eebd.org o Information Paper 27: Energy performance certification, status in December 2006. Available at http://www.buildingsplatform.eu/epbd_publication/doc/P027_EN_Ce rtificationstatus_p2697.pdf o Main Conclusions from the FIRST CONCERTED ACTION, available at http://www.epbdca.org/Medias/Pdf/EDMC_CA_31Mar2008.pdf

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