Ministry of Defence concern about security risks suspected of prompting policy change on certificates

Energy assessors have accused the government of a rethink that could halve the number of buildings requiring the new display energy certificates.

Only public buildings more than 1000m2 that are 鈥渇requently visited鈥� by large numbers of people will need a DEC, according to a Department of Communities and Local Government (CLG) document distributed at a closed meeting with industry representatives on 14 April.

Energy assessors said this contradicted a flowchart on the CLG website that indicated all public buildings would need a DEC, irrespective of the number of visits by the public.

The CLG promised to clarify the situation. 鈥淲e鈥檒l be putting more information on our website soon to help authorities to understand whether they will need a DEC,鈥� a spokesman told BSj.

He denied that there had been a rethink. 鈥淭here is no shift or change. We have planned that we would give more information and guidance closer to the launch date,鈥� he said.

鈥淚t was always planned that only buildings frequented by the public would need a DEC. There is no point in having a DEC if the public don鈥檛 see it.鈥�

One assessor who attended the meeting said the document had surprised those present. He said the rules had changed 鈥渋n a not too subtle way鈥� and that the 100,000 DECs previously expected could be reduced by half.

Another assessor, Robert Cohen, technical director at energy consultancy ESD, said the Ministry of Defence had probably baulked at the possibility of having energy assessors learn details about security sensitive buildings.

鈥淭he change was certainly unforeseen,鈥� Cohen said. 鈥淚 think the CLG lawyers used a sledgehammer to crack a Ministry of Defence nut.鈥�

The CLG spokesman said that the department鈥檚 headquarters in Victoria, London, would be obtaining a DEC even though it probably fell outside the requirement parameters. 鈥淲e get lots of government and industry visitors but very few members of the public. But we are going to get one to lead by example. It would be a bit rich if we didn鈥檛 get one, being the lead authority,鈥� he said.

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