Display Energy Certificates

Public buildings are legally required to display a valid Display Energy Certificate (DEC), which shows the building’s energy performance. These certificates must be renewed annually, helping to monitor energy use and the associated carbon emissions over time.

At Here’s The Plan, we work with accredited assessors to provide a complete DEC service, ensuring our clients remain fully compliant. Each site audit not only supports the certification but also highlights opportunities to improve efficiency and identifies any unusual patterns in energy use based on building type and operations.

The Regulations

Since 9th July 2015, any building with a total useful floor area over 250m² that is occupied by public authorities—or institutions providing services to the public and frequently visited by them—must have a valid Display Energy Certificate (DEC) and advisory report. Only an accredited assessor can issue a DEC, and it must be registered on the national Landmark plc database.

The DEC includes an Operational Rating (OR), which reflects the building’s actual energy use and carbon emissions over a 12-month period. For buildings over 1,000m², the DEC must be renewed annually; for those between 250m² and 1,000m², it is valid for 10 years. The accompanying Advisory Report, outlining recommendations to reduce energy consumption, is valid for 7 years (over 1,000m²) or 10 years (below 1,000m²), but it does not need to be displayed.

The Operational Rating is benchmarked against similar buildings and must be displayed prominently in a public area. This annual renewal builds a performance track record, helping to demonstrate how effectively the occupier manages energy use and carbon emissions over time.

What is involved in producing a Display Energy Certificate

The Energy Assessor will carry out a walk around survey of the building to establish what the potential for reducing energy consumption is and identify any zones that have untypical energy demand for the type of building. The energy assessor will request data about the use of the building, the total useable floor area, the operational hours, and details of any air conditioning equipment.

The Operational Rating can be influenced by a number of factors:

It is important to ensure that the measurement of the total useful floor area is accurate.
Ensure that any specific allowable energy uses are separately metered i.e. an office block that has regional server room
The operational hours of the building need to be accurate
Allowances are made for On-site generation from renewable sources that are separately metered
Buildings that share a common meter would be better advised to have a sub meter in one of them to accurately show the consumption of the particular building especially if they have different types of use.

Your Responsibilities

For all buildings affected by the regulations:

To display a valid DEC in a prominent place clearly visible to the public
To have in your possession or control a valid advisory report

Enforcement of the Regulation

Trading standards are responsible for enforcement of the regulations:

Fines are £500.00 per non-compliant Display Energy Certificate
and £1,000.00 per non-compliant Advisory Report

Display Energy Certificates