Property industry in the dark over the EU’s EPBD

The survey, which was carried out in October and November of last year, identified that three-quarters of all commercial property respondents believe that the rising cost of energy is relevant, or fairly relevant, to their business.

Of those surveyed, 43% said the key drivers were legislative and financial, and almost a third said that occupier demand, allied to environmental concerns and corporate social responsibility, were also important drivers in their business.

However, only 50% of respondents said they were aware of the EU Energy Performance of Buildings Directive, and only 5% were aware that the Directive required the preparation of energy certificates.

No one was aware of the two different ratings – asset and operational. Also, none of the respondents were conversant with the types of commercial transactions that will prompt the requirement for a Building Energy Certificate.

Andrew Tee, technical director at CNP says, “It is clear that, within the property sector, there is a high general awareness of energy efficiency and anticipated legislation in this area.

“However, there does seem to be a lack of clarity at this point on how organisations plan to respond to the new demands.”