Display energy certificates (DECs) have being introduced for certain buildings to raise public awareness of energy use and to provide the public with energy information about a building they are visiting. It is important that the building owners and occupiers including the public sector leads the way in the campaign to tackle CO2 emissions. DECs show the public how efficiently organisations are using energy in their buildings.
A display energy certificate (DEC) shows the energy performance of a building based on its actual annual energy consumption and the CO2 emissions that result from that energy use. This is shown as a rating from A to G, where A has the lowest CO2 emissions (best) and G the highest CO2 emissions (worst).
The rating is also shown as a number. A typical building of its type would have a rating of 100. A building with twice the typical CO2 emissions would have a rating of 200 (or G). A DEC must be accompanied by an advisory report containing recommendations for improvement of the energy performance of the building. The DEC must be renewed every year. The advisory report is valid for seven years.
DECs are produced using Operational Rating software. Buildings may also require an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) if it is sold, built or let. The EPC rating shows the performance of the building’s fabric and fixed services. By contrast the DEC rating shows how well the occupier is using energy within a building and the trend over the last three years.