Industry software provider IES has urged the government to resist pressure from accreditation bodies to curtail the use of data gatherers in the creation of EPCs.

In a blog for bsdlive, IES’ divisional manager of building regulations, David McEwan said: “CLG should be cautious before jumping to any snap decisions. It’s a difficult tightrope to walk, to put in sufficient measures to raise standards without being too prescriptive.”

However, some energy assessor accreditation bodies have countered with the view that the draft directive set out my CLG does not go far enough.

Philip Salaman, managing director of Quidos, said: “I don’t think the CLG recommendations are tight enough. This is an embryonic industry and we need to ensure that the data collectors doing this are qualified to a suitably high level.”

Industry insiders have claimed that energy assessment bodies have put pressure on the government as a means to drive up the number of required accredited assessors, a point Salaman refutes.

“I see the point,” continued Salaman, “but at the end of the day the point of the accreditation scheme is to make sure there are people up to the task. The view that anyone can do this work is ludicrous.”

CLG set out the proposed restrictions on the use of data gatherers following accusations of inaccurate EPC ratings.

To read his blog in full click here.