Commercial EPC & EPC+ Reports

Braithwaite Energy is a national commercial EPC provider, producing Level 3, 4 and 5 non-domestic Energy Performance Certificates from our London and York offices for portfolios across England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.

A non-domestic EPC is valid for 10 years unless the building undergoes material changes that trigger a fresh assessment.

A standard EPC delivers the statutory rating and lodgement. Our EPC+ report adds a costed uplift plan showing which measures would take the building from its current rating to EPC B, ranked by cost-effectiveness.

An Energy Performance Certificate rates a building's asset energy efficiency on an A to G scale, in the same way appliances are rated, and lists recommendations for improvement. EPCs are required whenever a building is sold, let or newly constructed, and remain valid for 10 years from lodgement.

No. As long as a valid EPC exists for the building it can be given to any prospective buyer or tenant. An EPC lasts 10 years, and the same certificate can be reused throughout that period unless the building is materially altered or extended.

A straightforward single-let commercial unit is typically surveyed and lodged within five to ten working days, and we run a fast-track service for transaction deadlines. Complex or Level 5 buildings requiring dynamic simulation take longer because the model has to be built from drawings and plant schedules.

The levels describe the complexity of the building and the competence required to assess it. Level 3 covers simple buildings with standard heating and ventilation, Level 4 covers buildings with more complex services, and Level 5 covers buildings whose systems cannot be represented in SBEM and must be modelled using Dynamic Simulation Modelling.

A Level 5 EPC assesses complex buildings with high-technology HVAC systems using Dynamic Simulation Modelling rather than SBEM. It is needed where systems such as chilled beams, VRF with heat recovery, atrium ventilation or complex controls fall outside SBEM's capability, and it usually produces a fairer, more accurate rating for that kind of building.

Yes. Places of worship, temporary buildings in use for under two years, stand-alone buildings under 50m², certain industrial sites and workshops with low energy demand, and listed buildings where compliance would unacceptably alter their character can be exempt. Exemption is judged building by building, and the safest route is a short assessment before marketing.

MEES require landlords of non-domestic privately rented property in England and Wales to hold an EPC of at least band E. Since 1 April 2023 this applies to all existing let non-domestic property, not just new tenancies, so a sub-standard building must either be improved or carry a valid registered exemption.

DSM and Level 5 EPCs give a far more detailed and accurate picture of how a complex building actually uses energy, so investment decisions are made against real behaviour rather than a simplified proxy. On large or highly serviced assets that regularly avoids specifying measures that would not have paid back, saving significant capital expenditure.

Fees depend on floor area, building complexity, the level of assessment required and how much drawing and plant information already exists, so we price each instruction rather than quoting a flat rate. Portfolio and framework instructions are priced at a lower per-asset rate, and we will always tell you if a cheaper level of assessment is sufficient.