Energy Matters - Issue 9

ISSUE 9 | 2022 www.elmhurstenergy.co.uk

ENERGY MATTERS Working in the air conditioning industry

Buildability critical to tackling thermal bridging

How to win more retrofit work

Your Heat Pump questions answered

Energy Matters | Issue 9 | 2022

2

Foreword

Stuart Fairlie Managing Director Elmhurst Energy

Hello and welcome to our latest edition of Energy Matters.

The world has certainly changed a lot since our last magazine, with what seems to be positive moves out of the COVID pandemic, to the now quite awful situation in Ukraine.

The impact of this has been a renewed focus on fuel security and prices for consumers, which is hitting people’s back pockets up and down the country. Never has it been more important to use less energy in all our buildings.

And never has it been a better time to understand your building (home or work place). But what can people do about it?

First they must understand the asset through either an RdSAP/ SAP or SBEM calculation. Then they need to understand the occupancy of the property and how it affects its operation, and, finally, compare that to the used metered energy. Only with these three bits of information can we really solve the energy debate.

So if you feel like 2022 came in with a bit of a whimper, it certainly has sprung into life; we have all seen the market place get busier and busier across the built environment.

Change of methodologies This year’s focus of a change in methodologies seems like the launch pad for good change; we have had years of calls for evidence and consultations.

But now the (very) long overdue update to our methodologies can’t come fast enough, which will enable our members to give up to date calculations, fuel prices and carbon emissions to their customers.

This will help people make good choices about what is right for them in terms of reducing their bills, reducing energy use and/or carbon emissions - or living in healthier homes. We have always stated that the methodologies need reasonable, regular updates to ensure that they continue to remain relevant and up to date.

This is why we are delighted to see Government commit to a Future Homes Standard in 2025,

t: 01455 883 250 • www.elmhurstenergy.co.uk

3

We are out and about and extremely busy this year supporting the likes of LABC CABE and NHBC amongst others spreading the word of energy efficiency in buildings around the whole of the UK.

and we know that work is already starting on the updated methodologies for this too.

Closely following the update to building standards will be an update to RdSAP, with the transition to ECO4 soon to come in. The great news is that energy efficiency, ventilation and overheating are all coming together; as the old adage said ‘build tight, ventilation right,’ which has never been more true.

As always at Elmhurst we want to give members all the tools that they need to succeed. Our aim is simple: provide the best quality products and services so that our professional members can help homes and businesses use less energy, produce less carbon, have lower energy bills and be healthier places to live and work.

the second year running. It is obviously great to be voted the best, but this is just a huge thank you to every one of our excellent team at Elmhurst and also to all our members who are the best in the industry. I am very proud, but obviously we can’t rest on our laurels. We recognise that we are extremely busy at the moment and therefore we are investing in recruiting more staff and processes improvements to continue to deliver the best that we can for our members.

Events and Futurebuild Since the last edition, we have been busy throughout the regions, attending events including our own England & Wales conference at Leicester Tigers, where it was great to start to see people again.

We also intend to run some regional events in the future so watch this space!

We are out and about and extremely busy this year supporting the likes of LABC, CABE and NHBC, amongst others, spreading the word of energy efficiency in buildings around the UK.

The Energy Efficiency Awards

Our team has just come back from Futurebuild, which was a fantastic event, where we are seeing lots of positivity in improving homes and businesses.

I personally took part in a lively debate about the use of RdSAP in retrofit, which was interesting and hopefully thought provoking.

Certainly we all have an opinion on how to improve all our homes in the UK.

On a different note we were delighted to win National Quality Management, Compliance & Training Company of the Year at the Energy Efficiency Awards for

Finally I hope you all enjoy reading this edition and that this year is a year that really makes a difference to energy efficiency of our homes and work places.

All the very best and stay safe.

Stuart Fairlie Managing Director Elmhurst Energy

FOLLOW US ON SOCIAL

Follow our LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook pages for the latest news and updates from Elmhurst Energy: ElmhurstEnergy ElmhurstEnergy Elmhurst-EnergySystems-Limited

Energy Matters | Issue 9 | 2022

4

Contents F E AT U R E

12

05 Elmhurst Celebrates International Women’s Day 06 Working in the Air Conditioning industry

12 Your Heat Pump questions answered 14 The Energy Savings Opportunity Scheme 16 Why do we audit?

08 How to find Retrofit work 10 How can energy and retrofit SMEs get a bigger share of public sector contracts?

11 A spotlight on Retrofit Support

18

18 Buildability critical to tackling thermal bridging 20 Training update 22 Market data 16

06

10

14

Your Heat Pump questions answered

t: 01455 883 250 • www.elmhurstenergy.co.uk

5

Elmhurst Celebrates International Women’s Day Fiona Wilson, Business Development Manager

International Women’s Day fell on 8th March this year, which provided a good opportunity to reflect on what Elmhurst is doing to help support women.

This year’s theme is about breaking the bias, which really does play on what we are doing at Elmhurst.

together information on lone working, personal safety, with links to the Suzy Lamplugh Trust’s website for app suggestions. We have also been adding more job opportunities to our main website to help members connect with companies and projects.

Bias exists throughout the world, and whilst we all believe we don’t hold these biases - we do. This is easy to see when we consider that just under 14% of Energy Assessors are women. So at Elmhurst we have been looking for ways to address this imbalance and to help our existing members.

In the first forum, participants raised a need for a dedicated area for women to discuss the areas that concern them, ask for advice and connect with one another.

This has led to the development of our Facebook Page “Elmhurst Energy – Women working in energy efficiency” which has proven to be very popular – with over 160 members! If you are a woman working in the industry, we would love to have you join our Facebook page and join the conversations.

For example, following feedback from the first Women’s Forum we held in mid-2021, we have put

We have since run another Women’s Forum, and we are intending to hold these regularly

throughout the year to help women in the industry connect, share experiences and help us understand what more we can be doing.

From this forum we have had a few more ideas that we are looking to develop further, including looking at ways that assessors can network more locally, connect with members on other strands and potentially some mentoring opportunities to help build confidence.

International Women’s Day is a good day to look at what we are doing, but, it’s not the only day that we do so.

Unfortunately there is still a way to go to improve the overall statistics, so please let us know any ideas you have to help encourage more women into this industry, or to support those that are here now.

Energy Matters | Issue 9 | 2022

6

MEMBER’S CORNER www.elmhurstenergy.co.uk

Working in the Air Conditioning industry

16 years ago Alasdair Muir was working in the built environment department for a local authority before a series of takeovers and shakeups led to him starting his own successful building surveying company, A Muir Surveying. One of the services he provides is Air Conditioning (TM44 assessments) so we caught up with Alasdair to find out more about this line of work.

Why did you become an Air Conditioning Inspector?

Around 2006 I was working in the built environment department for a local authority, which was then taken out of the council and given to a semi-private company.

They offered a few team members training and I put my hand up for various energy saving courses - any training they could find! And that included air conditioning. I was very lucky to have benefited from that.

Did you find having a background as an energy assessor helped?

It’s definitely helpful coming from a commercial EPC background because you’ll have a bit of

knowledge about Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning (HVAC) systems.

What I would say is that EPCs and DECs almost gave me a bit of a false sense of security. I definitely found the air conditioning exam, set by ABBE (but I think with input from CIBSE), much harder than the former two; it was more technical - a lot of which you don’t necessarily need to know on site - but I suppose it ensures you know your stuff and you feel very assured when you’re in the field.

What’s your favourite part of the job?

I like going out to different sites.

My background is building surveying so I like being out and

t: 01455 883 250 • www.elmhurstenergy.co.uk

7

about and going into roofs and cellars!

What’s does a typical day look like?

First of all I’ll do a pre-survey and I’ll speak with the client to get some information. Some know a lot, some don’t.

When I go on site I have a chat with the person showing me around to get some more information. This is usually more useful than the conversation with the client!

Once we get to the area where the air conditioning unit is installed, I’ll try to get the chaperone to leave me to crack on as they usually slow you down.

Most of my time is spent up a ladder with my head in an air conditioning system!

After completing the inspection I’ll go home and start writing up the report.

How long does it take?

If it’s a simple job, the site survey will usually take 45 minutes to 1 hour, and around 4-5 hours to write up.

If it’s a more complex job, such as a multi academy trust with dozens of cassettes and complex centralized plant then it can be a full day on site (around 8-9 hours) and take approximately 2 weeks to write up.

I wouldn’t want to do only TM44 (air conditioning) assessments because of the amount of writing involved. But you’ve also got to make sure it’s relevant and that the client reads the report. At the end of the day the purpose of the inspection is to drive down energy consumption and lower energy inefficiencies, so your report’s got to be that balance of being informative and thorough but also accessible for the client.

Would you recommend others to join this area of work?

Absolutely. I can only see more work in the sector over the next few years.

There are companies that specialize in air con and there’s no shortage of work if you’re willing to put yourself out there.

Many building surveyors have more than one string to their bow.

At the end of the day the purpose of the inspection is to drive down energy consumption and lower energy inefficiencies...

I’m self-employed and besides air conditioning inspections I also provide commercial EPC and DEC assessments - and I’m busier than ever before.

What do you think of Elmhurst’s Air Con Online software?

I’ve actually just finished my first assessment using this software!

It was a bit of a learning curve but fairly easy to get the hang of.

I also like how you can go in and edit it.

In 2015 I became an Elmhurst member and I feel I have definitely benefited from the technical support. There’s no doubt the technical support knows their stuff.

View from Level 4 Air Conditioning Inspector, Trainer and industry veteran Steve Williams Would you recommend TM44 Inspections to Non-Domestic Assessors?

I would definitely recommend air conditioning inspections to EPC surveyors. There’s a huge market for buildings - there's millions of systems out there needing inspecting and maintenance.

EPC assessors make great TM44 Inspectors as a lot of the information that is collected for a Non-Domestic EPC is also required for TM44 assessments - for example information on lighting etc. They just need to refine their knowledge and Level 3 is the way to begin with.

And of course we have to ask… what are your thoughts on Elmhurst’s Air Con Online software?

I’ve used Elmhurst’s Air Con Online software and it’s very good and intuitive. Some software hasn’t changed at all during the years but Elmhurst has the capabilities to evolve the software and I’m sure they’ll be proactive in making it industry leading software

Energy Matters | Issue 9 | 2022

8

F E AT U R E

bid for funding under the Green Homes Grant Local Authority Delivery Scheme, in order to upgrade low-income households in their area.

www.elmhurstenergy.co.uk

How to find Retrofit work

So far £200 million of this funding has been awarded to over 100 local authorities, which will r esult in approximately 25,000 low income homes receiving energy efficiency upgrades by September 2021.

The scope of the competition has not required PAS 2035. However, for the further £300m planned to be allocated through Local Energy Hubs in September 2021, the government intends to require Trustmark registered status for contractors and, where applicable, PAS 2035:2019 standards.

Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund Demonstrator

The number one question we get asked when someone enquires about our Retrofit Assessor course is where’s the work coming from?

And it’s a fair question.

Why become qualified if the job opportunities aren’t clear? Hopefully this article will put your mind at ease and give you some ideas about the potential opportunities available to Retrofit professionals.

Supporting Schemes ECO3 The Energy Company Obligation Scheme (ECO) is a government scheme that provides funding to help reduce carbon emissions and tackle fuel poverty.

From the 1st July 2021 all retrofit work carried out under the ECO scheme must comply with the PAS 2035 Standard. And that means using a qualified Retrofit Assessor who is accredited with a TrustMark approved scheme.

The Local Authority Delivery Scheme Phase 2 Local Authorities have previously

The Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund Demonstrator aims to achieve significant energy demand reduction in dwellings by applying a whole house retrofit approach that is compliant with PAS 2035.

Funding for the Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund Demonstrator has been awarded to 69 local authority projects.

BEIS committed £179 million of funding for the recently launched Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund (Wave 1), with a further £800 million ear-marked for Wave 2, which launches in this financial year.

This is part of a wider £3.8bn promised in the Conservative Party's election manifesto and is likely to be spread across the decade).

t: 01455 883 250 • www.elmhurstenergy.co.uk

9

Other opportunities The PAS 2035 framework was created by government to ensure quality and consistency across the retrofit industry and win consumer trust.

It therefore lends itself well to many government funded programmes, with more expected to be announced in the future.

Other schemes likely to adopt the PAS 2035 framework include: Home Upgrade Grant The government is committing an additional £150 million through the Home Upgrade Grant to help some of the poorest, off gas-grid homes become more energy efficient and cheaper to heat with low-carbon energy.

MHCLG’s Building Safety Programme The Ministry of Housing Communities and Local Government’s (MHCLG) Building Safety Programme concerns local authority and housing association funding for fire safety work in high rise buildings and is rumoured to be updated to include PAS 2035 framework for retrofitting.

Retrofit and Home Improvement Companies

external assessors - so get in touch and introduce yourself.

A lot of home improvement companies will have their own Retrofit Coordinators but will also be looking for third party Retrofit Assessors.

Some will have qualified individuals on staff, but when there’s extra work on or if you can offer additional competencies, such as Thermography, Ventilation Air Tightness testing etc. you’ll instantly stand out.

It is also worth making contact with some of the local authorities who have successfully bid for Part 1B of the Green Homes Grant Local Authority Delivery scheme as well as those who are currently taking part in the Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund pilot (demonstrator).

Retrofit Coordinators

The same goes for Installers, whereby someone in the company will be a qualified Retrofit Coordinator or they will have someone who works on their behalf.

Retrofit Coordinators are the project managers for every retrofit project and therefore the ones running the show! They’ll most likely be doing the hiring, so you should approach them to hear about upcoming opportunities.

If you’re struggling to think of appropriate companies - take a look at the Energy Performance Certificate. Insulation, glazing, boilers - anything that affects the SAP score - are a good starting point when identifying companies to approach.

You can view the list of Retrofit Coordinators on Elmhurst’s search for assessor facility (scroll down the Home page) and on TrustMark’s register.

Local Authorities and Housing Associations

How do I find work?

A lot of Local Authorities and Housing Associations use

You can find more information about how to get started in the Retrofit industry with our Business in a Box. Take a look: www.elmhurstbusinessinabox.co.uk/

Energy Matters | Issue 6 | 2021

10

How can energy and retrofit SMEs get a bigger share of public sector contracts?

Each year the UK public sector tenders out over £290 billion buying goods and services and is focused on increasing the small and medium-sized enterprises (SME) share of this spend to over £96 billion by the end of 2022.

This could be transformational for energy and retrofit businesses, especially with the sector leading the drive to netzero carbon emissions. There is an enormous opportunity for businesses with the right bidwriting skills and expertise to capture their share of these valuable contracts. However, the majority of SMEs are not currently tendering for public sector business, and, of those that are, less than half are bidding successfully.

Helping SMEs to bid better AM Bid is one of the UK’s leading bidding and tender consultancies with a proven track record of helping organisations win public contracts. They identified that

many energy and retrofit professionals need help and support with bidding, because it is not easy to do well. They have taken their wealth of knowledge and experience to develop Ultimate Tender Coach.

David Gray, managing director at AM Bid and co-creator of Ultimate Tender Coach, commented: “It’s no secret that public sector contracts can be extremely lucrative, and for large businesses it’s easy to take advantage of professional bid writing services like the ones we provide at AM Bid, or to employ dedicated in-house specialists.

“But for small businesses, this can be beyond their reach, leaving people with potentially minimal bid writing experience to write responses, with varying degrees of success. We developed the Ultimate Tender Coach programme to help them understand the bid process and how to write winning submissions.”

Ultimate Tender Coach has been designed to give SMEs everything they need to transform their business and win contracts from clients that provide sustainable revenue streams, fast payment and guaranteed work. It includes a 25-hour online training programme which can then be used as an in-house bid resource, an invite to join a one-hour weekly coaching call and access to a private group sharing news, insights and opportunities.

Elmhurst Partnership Elmhurst has partnered with AM Bid, in order to help our energy and retrofit members win more public contracts.

Members will be able to use an exclusive offer code which will give them 10% off the advertised price (£2995 + VAT). For more information visit Ultimate Tender Coach.

11

A spotlight on Retrofit Support Years ago, whilst other teenagers were “getting tattoos and staying out late”, a 17 year-old Trysh Bing was carrying out weather reports for her home country of Slovakia. Not your typical route to working in the Retrofit Support Team at Elmhurst… but it’s a role she loves!

First of all how did you enter the industry?

I’ve always been interested in the environment. In fact, while I was at secondary school I carried out research on climate change in Slovakia; I used weather data gathered from the country’s meteor stations to analyse heatwave trends in the country and find out why they were happening more often. Other teenagers were getting tattoos my thing was weather!

After that I studied for a bachelor’s and then later a

master’s degree in Environmental Engineering. I was only supposed to be in the UK for one year but… that didn’t happen!

Why did you join Elmhurst?

I’ve always wanted to make a change and I’ve always believed that I can. That’s very important to me. I figured that working for Elmhurst, who lead the industry in a lot of respects, would give me the best chance to do that.

It also helped that I really liked the friendly and family vibe that the company has.

So, to retrofit support! What kind of questions do you get?

We get a lot of questions from recently accredited assessors and coordinators asking ‘where do I start?’ Not a lot of people know what the role looks like in practice, so I usually advise them to go to Access Elmhurst and read the technical bulletins we have. Then they can give me a call and we can talk through it - so they know what I’m referring to.

How does the team support retrofit members?

We provide all the standard things such as technical bulletins, videos and training but I think the best thing we do is listen and be empathetic. We’re always happy for people to call up and ‘bounce ideas’ off us or just double check that what they’re doing is correct.

It’s what we’re here for.

For me I take pride in the personal relationships we have with members. I used to work in the Existing Dwelling Support Team so I often talk with a lot of people I’ve previously helped as DEAs, and they’re usually pleased to hear a familiar voice on the phone.

Any advice for retrofit members?

The best advice for those starting out is to call us and have a chat.

It’s why we’re here. We’ll never say “that’s a stupid question, don’t bother me”. We would much rather you ask than doubt yourself, guess and fail an audit.

So if you’re unsure, give us a call!

Energy Matters | Issue 9 | 2022

12

Your Heat Pump questions answered Elmhurst’s Existing Dwellings Support Team has noticed a shift in the number of queries relating to heating systems. Following the release of the government’s Heat and Buildings Strategy and the Boiler Upgrade Scheme, the focus is now on heat pumps.

Damien Roberts, Existing Dwellings Manager

What is a heat pump and how do they work?

There are different types of heat pumps such as air to water, water to air, and ground to water. They all work similar in concept to a fridge; they take heat from a low temperature source (like the air)

and transfer this heat energy through a compressor, which increases the pressure of the energy thus increasing the heat.

The heat is then circulated around the home through a heat exchanger.

Heat pumps are very efficient, with a greater quantity of heat being delivered through the home compared to the electricity it uses to generate this heat. The fact that they are a low carbon heating system is why government and the energy assessment industry are pushing to raise awareness and implement measures to encourage people to install them.

How does a heat pump reflect on an EPC? Although Energy Performance Certificates (EPCs) do report the carbon emissions, the headline rating is a cost-based metric.

The methodology for EPCs (SAP)

t: 01455 883 250 • www.elmhurstenergy.co.uk

13

works well at predicting the energy costs of a home fitted with a heat pump, compared with, say, a condensing boiler.

Where an assessor selects the make and model of a heat pump from the PCDF, the assumed efficiency will be over 300%.

Despite this impressive efficiency, under current fuel prices a shift to a heat pump is likely to cost slightly more and therefore the EPC score will get slightly worse.

The government has referenced this in the Heat and Buildings strategy, stating that once the current spike in gas prices subsides, the price difference between mains gas and electricity will be addressed by shifting levies from electricity. When the price of gas and electricity is rebalanced, that will be reflected in the SAP methodology and the EPC rating for a home with a heat pump will improve to demonstrate both the reduction in cost and carbon.

It has been rightly pointed out that the EPC does not recommend any type of heat

pump to be installed as an improvement measure. This is because the methodology has not been kept up to date, and therefore the EPC is actually dissuading consumers away from the solution that government believes is the right one. The good news is that the assessment process is effective and well established, and that that the physics on which the methodology is based has proved the test of time. Government realises that some of the variables (such as carbon intensity), and the logic in how the recommendations are presented, are now out of date assumptions and that is why they are working on an update.

With the methodology likely to change in 2022 we are pushing for changes to the current list of improvement measures (Appendix T) that are applicable to recognise heat pumps. This would mean that a stakeholder looking at an EPC in in the future would see a heat pump as a recommendation.

This leads on to what we are doing now to help our domestic energy assessors deliver valuable energy advice to their customers.

We are working on new training material for heating systems that will focus heavily on heat pumps providing more technical details on how they work and the impact on the EPC, which we hope to release later this year. We are also redeveloping our ‘Energy Report’, which our members can use as a tool for providing advice which will show the three different metrics of cost, carbon and energy used. Whilst this is not a replacement for the EPC, it could be used in addition to it and can be shown to customers reflecting how efficient their home will be by installing a heat pump.

The government has referenced this in the Heat and Buildings strategy, stating that once the current spike in gas prices subsides, the price difference between mains gas and electricity will be addressed by shifting levies from electricity.

Energy Matters | Issue 9 | 2022

14

F E AT U R E www.elmhurstenergy.co.uk

The Energy Savings Opportunity Scheme The Energy Saving Opportunity Scheme (ES0S) comes but once every four years, and yes, it’s that time again!

ESOS is a mandatory energy assessment scheme for eligible organisations in the UK. It applies to large undertakings, which includes businesses, not-for-profit bodies and other non-public sector undertakings.

Eligible organisations must instruct a qualified ESOS Lead Assessor to complete an ESOS Audit, which they will then submit to the Environment Agency.

But here’s the exciting part for Energy Assessors: only those with two years’ relevant experience can train to become ESOS Lead Assessors! This role is therefore a natural fit for NonDomestic Energy Assessors (NDEAs) and Display Energy and Certificate (DEC) Assessors and Energy Auditors.

Why become an ESOS Lead Assessor?

ESOS is more detailed than a commercial energy assessment and would therefore suit those

looking to progress in their careers and move into an energy consultancy role.

You have more freedom to delve into areas in more depth and to work closely with clients to provide energy advice.

It’s also a useful tool for helping organisations achieve net zero, and helping support the UK government’s goal of achieving net zero carbon emissions by 2050.

Due to the specialised nature of this work most ESOS Lead Assessors choose to charge a day or hourly rate - making it a potentially lucrative area of work.

Elmhurst’s Head of Operations and former Non-Domestic Team Leader Josh Wakeling commented: “ESOS is a fantastic scheme and brilliant opportunity for energy assessors as it builds on their knowledge and experience gained as either non-domestic

t: 01455 883 250 • www.elmhurstenergy.co.uk

or DEC energy assessors.

“Not only does ESOS look into improving the energy efficiency of buildings in more depth than the SBEM or DEC assessment methodologies, but it also delves into transport and industrial process energy use.

It is very much more of an energy consultant and energy manager role. I highly recommend ESOS for those looking at net zero and wanting to assist large organisations in reducing the energy consumption and carbon emissions, and ultimately saving them a lot of money.”

In July 2021 the Department for Business Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) released a consultation outlining some exciting proposed changes to the ESOS scheme. This included, extending the scheme to medium-sized enterprises (MEs) and making ESOS data publicly available.

What is the process of completing an ESOS Audit?

The ESOS Lead Assessor visits the site and collects detailed energy data relating to the building, transport and industrial processes.

You may have to visit more than one site if a company has more than one premises.

Once they have visited all sites and got the data, they look at how to reduce the organisation’s energy use and prepare a big report which they present to the board of the company to sign off.

This report is then submitted to the Environment Agency, which is the scheme administrator.

The compliance periods Although the compliance period for ESOS Phase 3 seems like a long way away (5th December 2023), most ESOS Lead Assessors will start gathering data around the summer period, in order to collect 12 months of energy data and have enough time to process it.

Phase

Qualification Date

4 Year Compliance Phase

Compliance Date

1

31st December 2014

6th December 2011 5th December 2015

5th December 2015

2

31st December 2018

6th December 2015 5th December 2019

5th December 2019

3

31st December 2022

6th December 2019 5th December 2023

5th December 2023

31st December 2026

From 6 December 2023 to 5 December 2027

5th December 2027

(current)

4

How do I become an ESOS Lead Assessor?

You can become an ESOS Lead Assessor by joining Elmhurst’s four day course.

The course covers everything you need to know to confidently carry out energy audits, including a practical day which is unique to the Elmhurst course!

After completing the course and successfully passing the exam, you can join Elmhurst’s approved scheme and start completing ESOS assessments.

Already qualified?

If you’re an ESOS Lead Assessor with another scheme, all you have to do is complete our AP95 form and select ‘Route 3’ in section 4 of the application form.

Upon successfully completing the exam you can join Elmhurst’s scheme.

15

Energy Matters | Issue 9 | 2022

16

F E AT U R E www.elmhurstenergy.co.uk

Why do we audit?

Stuart Fairlie, Managing Director

I think that most of us feel that we do a good job and no one (especially auditors!) like to be questioned. But at the same time we have all come across energy assessors who make mistakes, cut corners or even manipulate inputs to get the ‘right’ answer. We at Elmhurst believe that quality assurance is essential to deliver good quality energy certificates and that good auditing is an essential part of that process and, when done at its best, is a learning experience for us all.

Audits are a requirement for all energy schemes and it comes at a significant cost, but at a cost which we think is worth paying because it secures the reputation of energy certificates. This means that consumers can have confidence in them and policy makers continue to demand energy certificates.

Quality Assurance

One definition of quality is when the product meets customers’ requirements. When it comes to energy assessments we believe that means an EPC that is accurate, consistent, informative and forms a good basis on which to make decisions. Elmhurst can influence all of these aspects, but for accuracy and consistency we rely on our accredited energy assessor members.

n

Intuitive software

n

Great technical support

Auditing, even if applied at 100% sampling, will never assure quality.

The quality assurance that Elmhurst provides is based upon putting the effort in before the assessment through: n

n

Excellent training delivered by experts

Helpful manuals and Technical Bulletins

This is done on the basis that auditing, which is inevitably done after the event, will identify fewer problems that are often difficult, expensive and inconvenient to resolve.

t: 01455 883 250 • www.elmhurstenergy.co.uk

17

At Elmhurst we also support quality assurance through a closed loop process.

Since the 1970s the aviation industry openly report and investigate any air traffic incidents.

The idea was to find out what went wrong, how everyone can learn, and what everyone can do to improve. It was not a finger pointing exercise, but what is called a ‘closed loop process’ with an aim to improve quality for all.

The quality assurance process that we adopt at Elmhurst is based upon these same principles.

Creating a feedback loop Here at Elmhurst we follow the rules set by the Governments in terms of audits of Energy Certificates, but we don’t stop at just the individual audit level.

We analyse the results every month across all strands, we look at trends and drill into the details.

We then use this information to go back through the entire process

and say what we can do to help every one of our members and therefore wider industry.

So when that individual audit is called on a member, not only is this not a finger pointing exercise, it is ensuring that all members are treated exactly the same, providing a level playing field, whilst also making Elmhurst members the best in the business.

Auditing Auditing is now based around two principles of “random” and “smart “audits. n

n

Random audits are selected blind and are an effective way of gauging the overall quality of EPCs produced where as Smart audits are initially focusing on high risk areas that aren’t necessarily wrong but worthy of further investigation because they include a feature which can have a significant impact on the EPC rating and are either unusual, or have been used by others to improperly affect the rating.

As a scheme were are required to audit 2% of all lodgments and, for each of our members, a minimum of 1% or one per annum, whichever is greater. As smart audits are random (and therefore not equally spread) and with rounding, it is very possible that individual assessors will receive more than the 2%. The sample rules are different in different regions (e.g. Scotland) but in essence the same type of approach is where we are or where we are heading.

Summary If we don’t audit independently, then what would occur? We do this as it is the right thing to do, and moves us all on as an industry towards better quality. This is what we all strive for, it will bring better outcomes for everyone, more energy assessments on buildings for owners and occupiers. The clear message is that yes we recognise the pain of an audit at the time of it being requested, but we have to all believe that it is very worthwhile for individuals and for us all as a collective. Without this assurance we would not be where we are today, but it is continually evolving and we continue to improve all aspects of what we do to make our members the best in the industry.

Energy Matters | Issue 9 | 2022

18

TECHNICAL CORNER www.elmhurstenergy.co.uk

Buildability critical to tackling thermal bridging Mark Bowman, UK Technical Manager for Marmox

The recent surge in wholesale gas prices has added another dimension to the regulatory and environmental pressures on developers and their consultants to reduce energy losses with the UK’s pace-setting commitments to achieving Net Zero emissions now looming large on the political horizon.

While the plans to end the installation of new natural gas central heating systems by 2035 in favour of heat pumps - are viewed by many commentators as over ambitious, revisions to the Building Regulations have already brought modern properties up to a standard where their use is viable in terms of properties’ thermodynamic characteristics.

But although improving the performance of roofs, walls and floors has happened incrementally and with relatively little pain, achieving Part L compliance for the fabric of the building remains a challenge for specifiers, especially in respect of the junction details.

Thermal imaging cameras have become a favourite tool for both building surveyors and those involved in building product research. Offering as they do a spectrum of colours from dark blues to bright red, the technology can show up the troublesome floor/wall junction around the building perimeter for performing almost as badly as an early aluminium window frame or a steel lintel. Such issues were originally highlighted three decades ago by the BRE in a document entitled “Avoiding Risks” and have since been the subject of much research across both industry and academia, though the fundamental problem remains that most good insulating materials are of low density and low strength, making them unsuitable for supporting structural loads. Thus maintaining the overall continuity of performance at the base of the

t: 01455 883 250 • www.elmhurstenergy.co.uk

19

inner leaf or around some upper floors and parapet walls requires special solutions.

In the case of many PassivHaus projects - the zero-energy benchmark for the majority of environmentally conscious clients, from school boards to self-builders - the problem of the primary floor/wall junction has been addressed by casting a reinforced concrete slab on a raft of medium density foam and then continuing the insulation up the outer face to a level above the junction. This, unfortunately, is not only costly, but can add significant time to the build programme, meaning it is not favoured in the mass market.

There is, however, a hybrid solution which has proved successful in applications from home extensions to the construction of municipal swimming pools and which has most recently been adopted for the construction of oversites onto which multi-storey modular homes are craned into position.

Thermoblocks are available in widths of 100, 140 or 215mm and are formed from sections of XPS

(extruded polystyrene) encapsulating two rows of high strength, epoxy concrete minicolumns. These are attached at either end to the top and bottom layers of glass-fibre reinforced polymer concrete, to ensure a good bond with the rest of the structure. Importantly, the columns themselves offer a very low thermal conductivity so do not create a cold bridge, while being able to support a loading of 9N, which is higher than the typical dense or aerated concrete block.

Set within the highly insulating XPS section, the units achieve a combined thermal conductivity of 0.047 W/mK. and crucially being able to deliver a very low transmittance, derived by thermal modelling and actual measurement, offers a far more advantageous option than adopting the default figure available under SAP and other assessment methods.

From the perspective of buildability, the blocks are light to handle and are laid in the manner of a continuous course of bricks,

while at 600mm in length, progress is rapid. The only difference to bedding a brick is the use of Marmox multi-purpose adhesive to secure the stepped end joint, but this interlock provides far greater stability than a standard perp joint and therefore helps the layer of Thermoblocks to stand firm when a volumetric unit is being positioned over them.

Other recent projects have also seen the very versatile Thermoblocks incorporated into a wall construction featuring traditional dressed stonework by a self-builder creating a family home, while 800 of the widest 215mm units were used in erecting a series of parapet walls where the floorplates stepped back on a nine-storey “Student Castle” built in Brighton.

Overall, the Marmox Thermoblock offers a practical, economic and fully accredited answer to combating cold bridging for different types of development across the UK from social housing to schools and commercial properties.

Energy Matters | Issue 9 | 2022

20

TRAINING www.elmhurstenergy.co.uk

Training update Mitesh Nathwani, Training Manager

Hello and welcome to 2022. It feels really weird writing that considering we are already in March. How fast have the first couple of months flown by? We ended last year on a real high and there were many reasons for this. We won and completed the Green Homes Grant project, where we helped people who were out of work to gain qualifications within our industry and then find work.

In addition, there seems like there is no letting up this year either, with courses sold out weeks and sometimes months in advance.

Clearly, this shows that the energy industry is growing and demands for the services of our members are still on the up. Not only is this great news for you, but also for anyone who is looking at a career change or joining the industry and making an impact on helping deliver the government’s plan for zero carbon properties.

Online learning Our online courses have been a real asset for us and for all the assessors out there who needed to top up their CPD hours, get a new qualification or competency,

or just keep their knowledge and understanding up to date. Before COVID-19, we had never envisaged that the online courses would have taken off the way they did. Just last year alone we trained over 1000 Retrofit Assessors on our fantastic new online portal, which enabled the learners to do the course in their own time and at their own pace.

Obviously, the introduction of the online learning platforms have allowed us to reach further afield with our offerings and provide a new way of learning mirroring the new hybrid way of working that seems to have taken the working world by storm. That said, we have increased the number of classroom based

t: 01455 883 250 • www.elmhurstenergy.co.uk

21

have recently carried out training for Dorset Council, Neath Port Talbot Colleges as well as many private companies around the country.

To help with the growing demand we are moving all of our qualification courses over to the OneFile online portfolio. Our OCDEA team have made this migration already and it has enabled us to streamline our processes, mark work quicker and obviously print a lot less materials.

Finaly, I would like to thank you all for making 2021 an amazing year. It’s difficult to look forward to what 2022 has to offer, considering all that’s going on in the world currently. I hope this is also the last article that I have to mention COVID-19. Please stay safe and I look forward to meeting you all at some point in the near future. courses month on month.

With the government recently lifting COVID-19 restrictions, there has been a want to move back to normality, to meet up and network with likeminded people and thus the demand for classroom-based training has increased.

Recruiting trainers With the demand being so high, we have taken on more trainers to deliver our catalogue of courses and are always on the lookout for assessors who have training experience to join us as a freelance trainer. If you or anyone you know are interested in working with us please contact me directly at mitesh.nathwani@ elmhurstenergy.co.uk

The relaunch of our Roadshows We are also planning to restart our famous roadshows around the UK in the near future. This will give us all a chance to meet again and for us to pass on vital new information as well as deliver our regular qualification courses like our popular DEA course or Retrofit Assessor course as well as our CPD courses.

Delivering bespoke courses This year has already started to be extremely busy for us. We have had so many external companies as well as colleges and universities approach us for inhouse and bespoke courses. We

With the government recently lifting COVID-19 restrictions, there has been a want to move back to normality, to meet up and network with likeminded people and thus the demand for classroom-based training has increased.

Energy Matters | Issue 9 | 2022

22

Market data

Existing Dwellings Volume of EPC lodgements and residential house sales on a rolling 12 month basis (by quarter).

Amo Sihra, Head of Commercial

n

Volume of EPC lodgements on a 12 month rolling basis

n

Volume of Residential housesales on a 12 month rolling basis

Commentary

Here at Elmhurst we collect and analyse data from many sources in the belief that it helps us make better business decisions. Turning this data into a digestible form takes time and requires a detailed understanding of context.

In each edition of Energy Matters we provide you with a snapshot of this data, with a brief commentary, which we hope you find of interest, and can help you prepare for the future.

COVID-19 has obviously had a major impact on the construction, housing and energy assessment markets which is reflected in each of the charts. Some of the data related to new build homes within the devolved authorities has not been updated since December 2020 and estimates have been used.

For the last five years, house sales have been relatively consistent at around 1.19 million per year. Due to Covid the market fell away in March 2020, but had recovered by July and has continued to grow dramatically ever since, with a slight fall with the three months running up to December 2021. Volumes in the 12 months to September 2021 peaked hitting 1.55M (17% higher than the previous peak in March 2016, and 30% up on normal). For the last 12 months to December 2021, volumes being at 1.47M and still very much up from the 1.19M figure.

The volume of EPCs peaked in the 12 months to May 2014, driven in a large part by ECO. This fell back sharply to a low of 1.2 Million in March 2018. Two years of recovery peaked again in February 2020 with year on year growth of 11%, largely due to minimum energy efficiency standards in the private rental sector. Since March 2020 the volumes have dropped significantly but on a level with pre-Covid times and more recent showing an upwards trend line.

Outlook The blue line on the graph shows that EPCs are on the increase, which would indicate that house sales will also increase. There are many other reasons for an EPC to be completed, such as those for social housing as well as ECO4, Local Authority Deliver and work funded by the decarbonisation fund, are likely to boost demand. Government initiatives, such as MEES should also continue to drive up the demand for EPCs.

t: 01455 883 250 • www.elmhurstenergy.co.uk

New Build / On Construction

Non-Domestic/Commercial buildings

Volume of residential house starts and completions on a rolling 12 month basis (by quarter).

Non residential (commercial) property sales in the UK on a 12 month rolling basis.

Volume of Commercial property EPCs in the UK on a rolling 12 month basis.

n

Volume of residential house starts on a rolling 12 month basis

n

Volume of residential house completion on a rolling 12 month basis n

Data for Scotland and Wales is estimated since December 2020. n

Volume of On Construction (new build residential) EPCs in the UK issued on a rolling 12 month basis.

Volume of Commercial property EPCs in the UK on a rolling 12 month basis Non residential (commercial) property sales in the UK on a 12 month rolling basis

Commentary Continuing from the summer’s report, commercial sales have recovered well and are now 26% above the lows of January 2021 but still 5% down from the peak of October 2017. Whilst EPCs are issued for reasons other than property sales they have faithfully tracked the sales market i.e. 25% above the low of January 2021.

Outlook

n

Volume of on-construction (new build residential) EPCs in the UK issued on a rolling 12 month basis

Commentary Since COVID-19, house starts have recovered quickly and hit a new peak in September 2021 of 210,000 and since have slightly fallen by 0.50%, however numbers bettering than the previous peak in December 2018.

The volume of EPCs in the last twelve months has recovered to 285,000 from its low of 246,000 (up 16%).

Volumes peaked in Feb 2020 of 302,000 and December 2021 only 6% down from the peak figure.

With the higher number of house starts in the last three months, we expect to see the number of EPCs increase in further months.

The market has recovered well and continues to be the trend in the recent months. With the economy continuing to recuperate well, we can see both non domestic sales and EPCs continue to increase..

23

www.createonsight.co.uk •

Designed and produced by Create Onsight

For further information about the services that Elmhurst Energy provides please visit:

www.elmhurstenergy.co.uk or call:

01455 883 250