Display Energy Certificates (DEC's)
Why are DEC's required?
The purpose of introducing DECs is to raise public awareness of energy use and to inform visitors to public buildings about the energy use of a building. DECs provide an energy rating of the building from A to G, where A is very efficient and G is the least efficient and are based on the actual amount of metered energy used by the building over the last 12 months. An affected organisation must display a DEC in a prominent place clearly visible to the public and have in its possession or control a valid advisory report. The advisory report contains recommendations for improving the energy performance of the building.
What buildings will need to have a Display Energy Certificate?
All buildings over 250m2, that are occupied in whole or part by a public authority and frequently visited by the public are required to have a DEC on display and be in possession of a valid Advisory Report.
Validity of DEC's
Where the building has a total useful floor area of more than 1000m2, the DEC is valid for 12 months. The accompanying Advisory Report is valid for seven years. Where the building has a total useful floor area between 250m2 and 1000m2 the DEC and Advisory Report are valid for 10 years.
