It is not easy to predict what the market will turn to be tomorrow. Buying and selling of shares is sheer gambling. You need to have a good knowledge of the sen***, to be able to predict which company will do well and invest in them.

Add value to your investment by investing in property. It is unlikely to increase the value of your shares. Smaller modifications or minor renovations such as adding up a room, basket ball court, lawn, swimming pool, landscaping or just painting itself will increase the value of your house. Keep in mind also that the security is in the land, not necessarily the building, which makes getting the location right particularly important. Gain greater degree of control over your finances.

Get easy tax benefits by purchasing a land. Well, it need not be the only reason for investing in land, but you can look at it as a bonus. You own a land and you get tax benefits too. Don’t waste your money in paying tax, buy a land on loan and you can save a great deal of money. The other advantage is that land also gives you the ability to personally add value if you choose to renovate or develop it.

For your knowledge get the information on home information packs and EPC Certificates.

Land prices have dropped down tremendously. Drop in property loan rate is complementing the need to purchase new land. It is predicted that land rates will soon rise high with the rising economy. Moreover government is encouraging people to spend rather than save. Hence, an initiative to drop loan rates was taken on March 2009. It was dropped to 0.5% post recession, with the idea of encouraging people to spend.

Very soon land prices would substantially go up. There is a great demand of potential buyers and property investment is the in—thing now. Expatriates who are working abroad are finding a good opportunity to buy their own land. Most of the Indian software engineers and the paramedical staff working abroad are encouraged to purchase land. It serves as a good investment plan and also helps you in your retirement age. You can think of buy to let property insurance and let it out even if you don’t want to reside in it. It offers enough financial solace when you are out of work, sick, or are aged.

Consider the reason for purchasing a land. Is it to build a house or for investment purpose? Buy to let property is a good investment plan.

You want to know more about rental guarantee.

It’s a striking fact that around 70% of homeowners purchase a house without any form of independent survey. Would you buy a car without test driving it first?

‘Which’ and the Council of Mortgage Lenders strongly recommend an independent property survey before committing to a purchase.

The Surveyors and Valuers Accreditationorganisation (SAVA) introduced the Home Condition Survey, designed with homebuyers in mind, to provide a clear and concise report on the condition of a domestic property; thus allowing the home buyer to make an informed decision. It  is quick and easy to commision and good value for money.

The Home Condition Survey delivers a thorough report, providing a  plain English, jargon free assessment of the conditionof the property in question. it uses a simple 1,2,3 rating guide on all major aspects of the property.

The benefits are:

Reassurance and complete piece of mind.

Swiftness and simplicity of the whole process.

The ability to understand the condition of the property through the comprehensive document.

Cost effectiveness and direct contact with the surveyor.

Commercial EPC Policing – the cupboard is bear…

Just a quick update since my recent posts on HM Governments failure to implement the Energy Performance of Buildings regulations on Commercial EPC’s.

We came up with the idea in our highly creative office think-tank that in the same way trading standards outsource some of their other services, such as credit licensing checks, they may be interested in using a third party to police the EPC regs.

I spoke to three trading standards offices and was told the same by each of them. They simply have no funding and whilst the policing would likely lead to a large number of fines for the companies that are not complying, they do not earn any revenue from fines because they all go to the courts.

They can on occasion claim funds from fines, such as proceeds of crime charges such as lifestyle crimes, but not in this case. The expenses they can claim are minimal.

This means that their already tight budgets cannot stretch to outsourcing and as you would expect they cannot afford the resources to do themselves either. Back to Sq1!

If you missed this debate yesterday on the failure of Government to police Commercial EPC’s than here is my summary of events. You can still watch it on this link if you wish – http://www.parliamentlive.tv/Main/Player.aspx?meetingId=4380

• Initial response was that Local weights and measures are responsible for enforcing – HM Government support them by providing guidance and access to EPC register – They will assess the level of compliance later this yr – it was Acknowledged they have a duty to promote implementation
• The Study by NES was highlighted as evidence that it wasn’t being policed
• The response was that a comprehensive research project is underway initial focus being on the operational aspect of the arrangements and the second around compliance and value for money, which is due to report finally in the summer of 2010 – to date 92,000 Non Domestic EPCs have been completed – accepted that there are issues around non compliance and that they need to be seriously addressed
• It was raised that a new body called the Association of Property and Energy Professionals were going to be taking the government to ‘judicial review’ and will probably be launching a class action against the government (this includes their views on HEA role) – their web address is not live yet but here is an article about them if you want to know more – Click here for APEP article from EAT
• It was asked whether government owned property that had been marketed in the relevant period had complied with the legislation to which the Lord squirmed a bit and said he “certainly hoped so” and that with DEC’s there was a “high level of compliance”…
• Stressed it was a hugely important policy and that it was clearly needed for consumers to be aware of energy consumption of the buildings

 So some coverage for the issues at least but no seeming urgency from the Government with next summer being mentioned for the ’study’ to be completed.

Also today I notice that the ICBA (The Institution of Commercial Business Agents) have made a statement rejecting calls for agents to be responsible for providing an Energy Performance Certificate for commercial properties.

In my view this would be the easiest way for the government to move towards having this policed by the industry but I am not surprised the ICBA have come out with this if they think it will protect their members.

 I have an 11month old son who has recently revealed his first two teeth and is now ready to sink them in to everything he can – whether that is a banana, the settee or indeed his older sisters fingers (ouch!). One thing can be sure, we have waited 11 months for him to produce them and now he is keen to use them for any purpose.

So 11 months down the line for Commercial EPC’s and DEC’s, have Trading Standards grown any teeth yet, or are we still experiencing a load of dribble?

Trading standard are the body responsible for policing all aspects of the EPBD (Energy Performance of Buildings Directive) and this means imposing the penalties outlined in the regulations on firms that have failed to comply. To date there is very little evidence that Estate Agents, Landlords or local Government should have any fears of being penalised and this is proving to be a major problem to those qualified to meet the regulations.

To give put some some numbers to give a picture of the impact this lack of policing is having, it is estimated that around 42,000 DECs would need producing and the deadline has already been passed for them to be done. To date 25,480 DEC’s have been lodged on the landmark system, leaving a shortfall of just around 16,500 DEC’s yet to be done. It wouldn’t take a rocket scientist at the CLG to identify which of their buildings haven’t complied. Conservative market estimates for commercial EPC’s are around 130,000 (taking in to account depressed market) and as of the end of July 84,517 have been lodged with landmark.

The problem the lack of policing is obvious. Many landlords are ignoring the legislation in favor of holding on to their cash and taking the risk of not being caught. Those that do eventually have an EPC are generally doing so at the request of the solicitor in order to be able to exchange. With DEC’s and Air Conditioning Inspections (also way short for 250kw + systems) there is no point at which they are being pushed to comply.

Our regular conversations with the CLG on this matter bring the same stock response – we are told that Trading Standards are a reactive body rather than a pro-active body (surprised?) and therefore it is likely that only by building owners being ‘shopped’ they might be penalized.

So if we want any chance of progress here and want to see those breaking the law brought to task in the hope it will trigger further compliance, it would seem at least for the short term we are stuck with having to continue spoon feeding mashed up banana to both Trading Standards and the CLG. burp…

Since 14th December 2007, every property put on the market in England and Wales has required a Home Information Pack (HIP). Scotland is due to get its own version of HIPs sometime in 2009.

The pack contains important information about the property including a sales statement, searches and evidence of title. An important part of the pack is an Energy Performance Certificate, which contains advice on how to cut carbon emissions and fuel bills.

HIPs are a part of the government’s attempt to streamline the house buying process and protect the first time buyer from hidden surprises. As a first time buyer, it is important to have the essential information about a property as early as possible, which is why HIP’s are so useful. Such information saves time and money – most first time buyers need all the time and money they can get! Saving time and money will hopefully make buying your first house a little bit easier, which can only be good when you consider that buying a house is widely known to be the most stressful process that you can go through in your lifetime.

The amount of insulation a property has can make a big difference to the rating of the Energy Performance Certificate.

If you’re buying a home, you should ask the seller (or their agent) for a Home Information Pack, which contains an Energy Performance Certificate and a number of other compulsory documents.

If you’re a seller, you need to make sure you have commissioned a Pack by the time that you market your property. In conclusion, Home Information Packs are nothing but good news for first time buyers. HIPs save time, money and stress.

1.)     April 6th 2009 sees the end of first day marketing.

All homes must have a Home Information Pack (HIP) in place before it can be marketed for sale. This replaces the current provision which enabled home sellers to market their property before the HIP was complete.

No adverts, sales boards or flyers advertising the sale of the property will be allowed until the HIP is available for inspection by the potential viewer; those who do not comply could be fined £200.

The legislation also applies to New Build properties whether 2002 or 2006 building regulations apply.

2. Property Information Questionnaire

The Property Information Questionnaire or PIQ is a series of questions that must be completed by the seller. The PIQ details pre sale information about the property, including council tax band, parking facilities, utilities and structural alterations.

3. Changes to Insurance Provisions for Local Authority Searches

New pricing structure across local Authorities with regard to searches will also come into effect.

The pricing will be based on the council’s individual fees which have not yet been published by the majority of local authorities in the UK.

Home Information Packs – Content.

* Home Information Pack Index

* Energy Performance Certificate

* Sale Statement

* Evidence of Title (For HMLR registered properties)

* Search of Index Map (For unregistered properties)

* Property Information Questionnaire

Author: Ashraful Alam

ENERGY PERFORMANCE CERTIFICATES

The EU Performance of Buildings Directive has resulted in the introduction of Energy Performance Certificates (EPCs) in England and Wales. From 1 October 2008 all properties – homes, commercial and public buildings – when bought, sold, built or rented have been required to provide an EPC.

See example EPC

The certificate gives each building a SAP rating, which equates to an energy rating from A to G, similar to the ratings given on fridges and washing machines

Certificates carry two current ratings. The environmental impact rating measures your home’s impact on the environment in terms of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions and the energy efficiency rating which measure your home’s overall efficiency.

Each rating is based on the performance of the building itself and its services (such as heating and lighting), rather than the domestic appliances within it.

The ratings will vary according to the age, location, size and condition of the building. The potential rating on the certificate will take these factors into account, and the suggested measures will be tailored so that they are realistic for the particular building.

The certificate will make suggestions of cost effective measures to improve the energy performance of a property, which will result in lower fuel bills and less CO2 emissions which contribute to climate change. EPCs will allow prospective buyers and tenants to compare buildings on energy performance.

WHO NEEDS TO GET AN ENERGY PERFORMANCE CERTIFICATE

Homeowners – all sellers of homes need to ensure that they provide a Home Information Pack which includes an EPC for potential buyers

Homebuilders – an EPC needs to be provided to buyers of newly built properties

Landlords – need to provide an EPC to prospective tenants the first time you let or re-let your property

Commercial Buildings – owners of all commercial buildings will also have to provide an EPC when they buy, sell or let commercial premises

BENFITS OF ENERGY PERFORMANCE CERTIFICATES

The CO2 released from our homes accounts for a shocking 30% of the UK’s carbon emissions. By making your home more energy efficient, you are not only saving money on your fuel bills but also cutting the amount of CO2 released into the environment.

For home owners, EPCs will provide clear guidance as to where you can make the most savings on your energy bills and CO2 emissions and for potential buyers, the results give clear indications of potential costs implications for running the property and for bringing it up to an energy efficient standard.

By finding out the energy efficiency of your home you could make improvements that will lessen your home’s CO2 emissions and result in significant reductions to your energy bills. Our homes currently account for about 30% of the UK’s carbon emissions, so it is vital that we take steps to improve their energy efficiency.

The most common, and effective, measures to install are loft and cavity wall insulation.  In the loft, sheets are placed between and over joists, and for cavity walls, small holes are drilled into the walls of the property and the rock wool is pumped in to fill the cavity.

For properties without cavities there are a number of different internal and external insulation solutions.

TAKE ADVANTAGE OF EPC OPPORTUNITIES

Grants 2013 Energy Companies

Energy companies are currently being required by the government to fund energy improvements in domestic homes.  They are obliged under the Carbon Emissions Reduction Targets to provide grants for homeowners to install cavity wall and loft insulation.  Landlords can claim these grants too for all or any of their properties.

These grants are constantly changing so for up to date advice on the latest offers call Your Energy Efficiency Advice Centre on 0800 512 012.

Fuel Poverty Grants – Warm Front

Eligibility for Warm Front grants is dependent upon the tenant being in receipt of certain benefits. For more information on the criteria and how to apply call the Solent Energy Efficiency Advice Centre on 0800 512 012. Warm Front is a government scheme set up to tackle the issue of fuel poverty by providing financial assistance for people on certain benefits to install insulation and heating systems.  The grants are available to tenants of private sector housing as well as those who own their own home.  If one of your tenants is on any of a range of benefits, they can apply direct to Warm Front for assistance (telephone 0800 316 2814).  Warm Front will then contact the Landlord for authority to undertake the work at no cost to the landlord or the tenant.  With the installation of a new heating system, and/or loft and cavity wall insulation there is sometimes a surplus to pay – it is best to agree with the tenant whether landlord or tenant will be responsible for this surcharge prior to the work being carried out.  These works can include full gas central heating (up to £2700), oil central heating (up to £4000), the installation of storage heaters if the property is not on the gas network.  If the property needs gas to be connected Warm Front will carry that out as well.  The work will be covered by a free service agreement for 2 years, unless the tenant moves out, at which point the cover will end.

Landlords Energy Saving Allowance (LESA)

Alongside these grants the Government has also introduced some tax incentives to encourage private landlords to install energy efficiency measures in their properties:-  these are the Landlords Energy Saving Allowance (LESA, aimed at small landlords) and the Enhances Capital Allowance (ECA, aimed at businesses and large private landlords).

This allowance can be claimed by all private landlords that pay income tax, usually individual and smaller landlords.  The LESA means that landlords can claim a deduction for income tax purposes (up to a maximum of £1,500) against their rental profit when they install cavity wall, solid wall or loft insulation, draught proofing or insulation for hot water systems in any property they let.  This is in addition to the deduction that the Inland Revenue allows for wear and tear of furniture, fixtures and fittings (currently 10%).

Enhanced Capital Allowance(ECA)

This allowance can be claimed by landlords that pay corporation tax, larger landlords and businesses.  In practice this provides the landlord with the opportunity to claim 100% of the tax back on any energy saving technology that they buy e.g. if a boiler were bought at £100 and assuming a tax rate of 30% then £30 could be claimed back in the first year.

For a list of energy technologies that are eligible for this tax, see the: Enhanced Capital Allowance Site

The ECA scheme was set up to encourage UK businesses to reduce carbon emissions which contribute to climate change.  The ECA provides upfront tax relief, allowing businesses to claim 100% first year capital allowances against their taxable profits.  This can deliver a cash flow boost and shorten the payback period on investments.

HOW TO GET AN ENERGY PERFORMANCE CERTIFICATE

For residential properties you will need to find a qualified Domestic Energy Assessor (DEA), and for commercial properties you will need a Commercial Energy Assessor. You can do this by searching your local directory or internet for business listings.

You can find an accredited Domestic Energy Assessor on the national register at ” target=”_blank”>www.hcrregister.com/searchAssessor.html”>https://www.hcrregister.com/searchAssessor.html” target=”_blank”>www.hcrregister.com/searchAssessor.html”>https://www.hcrregister.com/searchAssessor.html.

About the Author:

Ashraful Alam is a qualified energy assessor and owner of www.vistaepc.co.uk providing energy performance certificates in London.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/environment-articles/energy-performance-certificates-how-to-take-advantage-of-the-benefits-635289.html

Today the Greener Builds team hit the 2009 Eco Builds conference at Earls Court Arena! What a mad packed day it was. Each GB member had his or her motive for going, whether it be to scope out the latest developments in micro-renewables, identify new suppliers for green roofing materials, pin point a new bright LED idea, or discover whats new in the world of Eco-refurbishments and developments.

The exhibition also held many seminars and debates on key issues in the construction/renewables world, which discussed everything from the ‘code for sustainable homes’, to part-L requirments, PV effeciencies and the need for refamping the old housing stock within the UK.

On the whole the day was a success with many new potential products and ideas taken from the event. Hopefully the day will enable GB to pursue their ever growing market base and design ideas.

EcoBuild exhibition 2009

The team was also joined by its newest recruit, Ian Jamison, an environmental Architect who comes to us with over 35 years experience.  It is hoped that Ian will be able to work with the different GB departments at a much closer scale, enabling greater capacity to deliver outstanding sustainable projects.

So, it was the New Year – 2009. GB had moved on, it had a fully fledged Domestic Energy Assessor, a fully loaded web site, and TWO new jobs, GreenerFields and the Eco-Haven.

As GB took shape and started advertising it managed to bag its first jobs.

The first of which was the conversion of a 50 foot piece of garden space into a fully operational ORGANIC allotment. In a leafy part of SW London, Southfields, GB had managed to secure a job in which a stretch of a 100 foot garden would be turned into a bohemian-organic-urban-vegetable growing farm. Over the next 12 months GB will turn this patch of grass into a fully operationally allotment, which will allow the owners of the property to suck on the sweetest of fruits and nibble on the tastiest of vegetables from April til December. GB shall be making regular visits to this site in order to ensure the smooth running and maintenance of the project. It is envisaged that this will be a continuing commitment from GB, and it will also provide a case study for the GB web site allowing anyone and everyone to take inspiration and turn there plots into mini food producing GreenerFields projects!

Job two was to turn Dr Neil Counihan’s roof terrace into an Eco-Haven.

When GB approached Dr Counihan it was just to have a catch up with an Orthodontist who it had long since said its goodbyes to. However, this Orthodontist had other things in mind apart from a good catch up and sneaky look at an old patients teeth. On describing the set up of this new sustainable green company the good doctor was impressed. Impressed by the idea, by the enthusiasm behind the company and by its commitment to the environment. He soon brought GB in ‘to do something to my roof terrace that will be green and help reduce my energy costs – saving money and the environment at the same time!’.

Over the next 6 months GB will be involved in the development of this new venture. Like the Greenerfields project the Eco-Haven will be a test case showing how energy efficiency combined with renewable energy production can not only reduce energy costs, but also reduce your impact on the environment.

So Watch this space.

By June Jamie Morse and Philip had got the ball moving and had registerd Greener Builds as a limited company. At the end of the summer and on completion of his Masters in Sustainable Environmental Management Phil left Plymouth for London, the start of GB.

After many a meeting at sunrise on Wimbledon Common Jamie and Phil had decided in what direction GB should take in order to kick start it into the Big bad world of a looming recession. It was decided Phil should under take a diploma in Domestic Energy Assessing with Elmhurst Energy. With this qualification the company would be able to issue Energy Performance Certificates (EPCs) for the rental and sale markets, which would enable GB to receive a financial burst at the offset. The qualification also meant that GB could also offer a service in which home energy efficiency could be fully tackled.

The next three months involved a lot of grafting in order to complete the DEA diploma and get the Web site and all other aspects of the company up and running. It also enabled the team to develop their knowledge of all things sustainable and green that are available on the market for the construction, landscaping and energy solutions part of the business.

The New Year ………..

The finalised Logo

]]> http://severnsurveyors.wordpress.com/2009/01/20/arla-comments-on-government-review-of-regulation-and-redress-in-the-uk-housing-market/ Tue, 20 Jan 2009 17:28:08 +0000 Graham http://severnsurveyors.wordpress.com/2009/01/20/arla-comments-on-government-review-of-regulation-and-redress-in-the-uk-housing-market/

On the release of the Government review of regulation and redress in the UK housing market, operations manager of the Association of Residential Lettings Agents (ARLA), Ian Potter, comments:

“We fully support Professor Jones’ recommendations, which would see residential letting agents regulated and subject to the Consumers Estate Agents and Redress Act. Currently, regulation in the sector is voluntary, which is why I would urge both tenants and landlords to look for ARLA accredited agents, as they are subject to our strict codes of conduct.

“Whilst ARLA welcomes this report, it is only the beginning of the debate. Redress is somewhat like the cart before the horse in that it negatively regulates and tackles the misdemeanour once it has occurred. Alongside this we would like to see regulation that prevents it in the first place. We will be working closely with the CLG in the coming months towards an ultimate goal of raising standards across the residential lettings industry; we hope that this might serve as one element of raising consumer confidence in the property market when it is at such an obvious low. The current situation, where anyone can operate as a residential lettings agent, is clearly inappropriate and is doing nothing to inspire faith in the market.”

About ARLA

The Association of Residential Lettings Agents (ARLA) was formed in 1981 as the professional and regulatory body for letting agents in the UK. It was recognised that the requirements of the residential lettings market were so detailed and specific that a separate organisation was required to promote standards in this important and growing sector of the property market.

ARLA has 3,500 member offices throughout the UK including large multi-branch national companies as well as the smaller single office practices. Membership is achieved only by agents who demonstrate that they have a thorough knowledge of their profession and that they conduct their business according to current best management practice.

All members are required to have professional indemnity insurance cover. In addition they are covered by a bonding scheme which provides financial protection for client monies which have been misappropriated.

ARLA members are governed by the Code of Practice providing a framework of ethical and professional standards at a level far higher than the law demands. The Association runs a series of meetings, training courses and seminars at local and national levels to ensure that members are kept fully up to date with the latest best practice.

Examinations are held regularly and membership rules require all member offices to have professionally qualified staff by the year 2000. Members’ accounts are required to be audited annually ensuring that they conform to stringent accounting practice.

Bristol based Energy Report Specialists Severn Surveyors is headed up by Mike and Alyson Matthews.

A family run company, Severn Surveyors has quickly become the leading expert in energy assessment in Bristol and the surrounding area.

The company focuses on staying abreast of legislative changes and the most recent qualifications in the commercial and domestic assessment fields.

With engineering and business backgrounds in both the public and private sectors, the company is flexible, resourceful and responsive.

Severn Surveyors prides itself on offering the very best customer service and value for money.

Severn Surveyors are specialists in providing energy reports and assessments for commercial, public and domestic properties, including…

- Energy Performance Certificates (EPC)
- Display Energy Certificates (DEC)
- Home Information Packs (HIPs)
- Home Buyers’ Surveys (Home Condition Surveys)
- Domestic Energy Assessments

We work a great deal in the following areas…

- Retail park outlets
- Industrial warehouses
- Office blocks
- Shopping centres
- Supermarkets
- Schools and universities
- Libraries, council offices and other public and civic buildings
- Hotels and guesthouses
- Pubs and restaurants

www.severnsurveyors.co.uk

news source: fool.co.uk

Thinking of selling your home? You may find you need to put that “For Sale” sign away until your Home Information Pack is ready.

Well, there’s been a glimmer of good news recently regarding the country’s property situation. After months of horror headlines regarding house prices, figures released last week by the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) revealed that at least the number of people looking to buy a home hit a two-year high last month.

Of course, there are two sides to the coin. The reason many of those people have decided the time is right to buy is due to the increased level of forced sales and repossessions that are, in turn, pushing down prices. So while you have thought buying a home was out of your league financially a year ago, things may be different now.

Drop-Dead Date

However, anyone planning to sell should be aware that ministers have tightened up legislation regarding the much-condemned Home Information Packs (Hips).

Sellers can currently market their property as soon as they have commissioned their HIP, and they have up to 28 days to do so while they wait to receive it.

However, as of 6 April 2009 (the so-called Drop Dead Date) buyers cannot put up those “For Sale” signs until all of the key documents for their HIP are in place (although they will still be given 28-days grace for a few items including property searches).

What’s more, the packs are to be made bigger, with the inclusion of a Property Information Questionnaire (PIQ), requiring information on the risk of flooding, gas and electricity safety, service charges, parking arrangements and details of any structural damage. Anyone not complying with the rules could find themselves fined up to £200.

In the beginning……

The original idea behind the Home Information Pack was that it should contain everything a buyer needs to purchase a property. That included a property survey known as a Home Condition Report (HCR).

If everything was in the pack, buyers would quickly be able to decide whether or not a property was worth even viewing, let alone putting an offer on. And that would result in less wasted time.

While the pack obviously burdened the seller with extra costs, this would effectively be cancelled out by him not having to pay for these items when the time came for him to buy.

Problems

The problem is various about-turns by the government have resulted in the pack being massively scaled-down (indeed it doesn’t even need to include what many regarded as the only useful part, the HCR).

It is argued that as potential buyers must still pay hundreds of pounds for a property survey, why saddle the seller with paying between £300 and £600 for a HIP? Does anyone actually care how many energy efficient light bulbs there are in their potential home? And with properties struggling to sell full stop, shouldn’t we be considering suspending HIPs in a bid to help things get moving again?

On a more positive note, Margaret Beckett’s new measures did state that she felt it was important that both home buyers and sellers get a good service from professionals working in the industry.

 news source: newton news

With the Met Office reporting widespread frost and temperatures dropping to as low as -9°C [1], Help the Aged is offering older people a free 3 Steps to a Warmer Winter pack to help weather this cold snap.

Mervyn Kohler, Special Advisor to Help the Aged, said; “It is important to keep warm during this cold snap, which is why we would urge older people to make sure they continue to heat their homes. Anyone concerned about the costs of heating should order one of our free winter warmer packs to find out what support is on offer.”

Three of the key tips included in the pack are,

1. Check – if you are worried about your finances this winter and you haven’t thought of claiming benefits before, there are a number of easy ways to check what you may be entitled to. Contact a local benefit advisory service or call Help the Aged SeniorLine on 0808 800 6565. Pension credit, council tax benefit or housing benefit are just a few of the entitlements you may be eligible for.

2. Claim – with up to £5 billion in benefits going unclaimed every year you may be able to boost your income. Contact The Pension Service free on 0800 99 1234 to make a claim. Alternatively, inside our free pack there is a coupon you can send off to either request a call from the Pension Service or a home visit.

3. Insulate – a properly insulated home could save you around £275* off your annual energy bill. There are a range of ways you can improve the energy efficiency of your home and you may be entitled to free insulation from your energy provider.

A free copy of 3 Steps to a Warmer Winter is available by calling 0800 089 0800. As well as useful contacts and the latest information and advice about claiming benefits and improving energy efficiency in the home, it includes a free thermometer to monitor room temperature.

Fellow bloggers Phil at ZeroChampion and Adrian at McFilter have commented recently on the feedback from their EPC (Energy Performance Certificates) assessments and made the observation that the recommendations do nothing more than suggest low energy lighting. I hear the same from friends who have undertaken EPC’s recently and asked me what can they really do to improve the banding.

With EPC’s being seen as a key tool in shifting the energy performance within existing housing stock (and indeed on commercial and public buildings) surely this has to be better.

Also this week They Work for Us posted results of Lib Dem Shadow Housing Minister, Sarah Teather, question, “How many domestic energy performance certificates have been registered on the central database for properties in each rating band”, Iain Wright, the Parliamentary Under-Secretary for the DCLG, responded with a breakdown of the numbers lodged on the central database in his written reply.

Rating Number lodged
A 228
B 50,210
C 315,623
D 526,613
E 352,354
F 117,916
G 33,035

As expected D is the most common band, but the majority are D and worst. And just what are the 228 A’s doing to achieve top marks – surely this is the information that should be relayed down to the other bands.

This post also gives me the opportunity to use WordPress new Poll tool, so here goes:

What is an “EPC”?

“EPC” means Energy Performance Certificate as part of a Home Information Packs and it will be required whenever a building is built, sold or rented out. If you are buying or selling a home you now need a certificate by law. From October 2008 an Energy Performance Certificate is required for rental property by property owners who wish to let their property. Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) gives home owners, tenants and buyers information on the energy efficiency of their property. Energy Performance Certificate provide complete details about Energy Savings Trusts that help house-property- owners with special grants or discounts to carry out necessary improvement work. An Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) for a non-dwelling will last for 10 years. If there is a change of tenants but the EPC is still valid, a new certificate will not be required.

Energy efficiency rating

Energy Performance Certificate (EPC is the energy efficiency rating of a property, precisely a building. It gives the building a standard energy and carbon emission efficiency represented graphically on a scale from A to G, where A stands for the most efficient energy performance and G stands for the least efficient energy performance and with the average to date being D. Energy Performance Certificate have immensely helped the buying and selling process, making the process transparent and fast

Does everyone need an Energy Performance Certificate?

The Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) is required by law when a building is constructed, sold or put up for rent. All sellers of homes need to ensure that they provide a Home Information Pack which includes an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) or potential buyers. An Energy Performance Certificate needs to be provided to buyers of newly built properties. If you are a landlord, you’ll need to make an EPC available to prospective tenants the first time you let a home after 1 October 2008. An Energy Performance Certificate is only required for a property which is self-contained, and is valid for 10 years. If you are a prospective tenant, an Energy Performance Certificate isn’t required when you rent a room and share facilities.

Getting Best Services of Energy Performance Certificate (EPC)

If you are a home seller, and in future, conduct property lettings, you must have a valid Energy Performance Certificate when you sell your home, or let your home. Templar Reports provides best services of Energy Performance Certificate (EPC). Templar Reports have three products of Energy Performance Certificate are listed below:

Energy Performance Certificate – PEA

Where an energy assessment is required for a building prior to completion, a Predicted Energy Assessment (PEA) will be produced. The energy assessment carried out at the design stage has until now resulted in a Standard Assessment Procedure (SAP) certificate. This will now be the PEA. The PEA is required as part of the HIP for a property marketed off-plan, it is required in line with HIP legislation. The HIP, and therefore the PEA, is required from the first point of marketing.

Energy Performance Certificate – SAP

From April 6th 2008 it is mandatory for all newly built property to build to a standard of an approved SAP rating. Templar Reports provide energy rating calculations and supporting documentation for all new build projects weather standard or non-standard; single/multiple dwellings; flats/ apartments. Templar Reports offer independent advice on how to meet the energy efficiency standards of the Building Regulations or clients targets. Services of Templar Reports can be tailored to meet the specific needs of each development, whatever its size, type of home or method of construction.

Energy Performance Certificate – RDSAP

Energy Performance Certificates are produced using a standard methodology with standard assumptions about energy usage so that the energy efficiency of one building can easily be compared with another building of the same type. This allows prospective buyers to see information on the energy efficiency and carbon emissions from their building so they can consider energy efficiency and fuel costs as part of their investment.

An Energy Performance Certificates comes with a recommendation report which includes advice and suggestions on improvements you could make to save money and energy. If you like to find out what improvements you can make to improve the energy efficiency of your home visit on www.templarreports.com

Energy Efficiency

1. Turn down your central heating by 1°C

It could cut your heating bills by up to 10%. If you feel it’s too cold, just pop on an extra layer of clothing like a T shirt under a shirt or a jumper or cardigan. 

 2. Don’t leave appliances on standby
How often do you leave the TV on standby when you go to bed? That TV, DVD player, HiFi, video recorder are all munching electricity – so turn them off.

3. Unplug mobile phone chargers
It’s handy to leave your mobile phone charger plugged into the wall, but if its switched on even without the phone attached it will be using electricity.

4. Set your hot water to 60°C
For most people, setting the cylinder thermostat at 60°C/140°F is fine for bathing and washing.

5. Don’t overfill your kettle
It’s easy to over fill a kettle, but try and only boil the amount of water you need (Always remember to ensure you boil the minimum amount for the safe use of the kettle – see your kettle’s user guide if in doubt).

6. Turn off lights when you leave the room
Always turn lights off when you leave a room and adjust your curtains or blinds to let in as much light as possible during the day.

7. Use economy mode on the dishwasher and 30°C to wash your clothes
Try and use low temperature programmes, and ensure you wash full loads.

8. Draw the curtains
Close your curtains at dusk to stop heat escaping through the windows – even in rooms you’re not using.

9. Take a shower not a bath
Water requires a lot of energy to heat it up, and a typical shower uses just 20% of the hot water a bath uses.

10. Put a plug in it!
Always put the plug in your basin or sink. Leaving hot water taps running with it removed is akin to washing money down the plughole.

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