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Display Energy Certificates & Advisory Reports Software users note
1. Introduction
This document is intended to assist users of the Government's software to produce Display Energy Certificates (DEC) and Advisory Reports (AR) in accordance with the Government's intentions, and that consistency is achieved between energy assessors, their assessments and the services they provide to occupiers. Approved accreditation schemes should consider the issues addressed in this document when training energy assessors seeking accreditation to produce DEC and AR. The software must be used in conjunction with the latest Government guidance available from www.communities.gov.uk Before attempting to produce a DEC or advisory report, energy assessors must make sure they understand the guidance, in particular: · The technical guidance titled The Government methodology for the production of Operational Ratings, Display Energy Certificates and Advisory Reports · The non-technical guidance titled Improving the energy efficiency of our buildings; A guide to display energy certificates and advisory reports for public buildings Energy assessors requiring clarifications or additional guidance should contact their respective accreditation schemes in the first instance.
2. Contents
1. 2. 3. Introduction...................................................................................................................... 1 Contents .......................................................................................................................... 1 Software issues ............................................................................................................... 2 3.1. Downloading the software ........................................................................................ 2 3.2. Installing the ORCALC software............................................................................... 2 3.3. Screen resolution...................................................................................................... 2 3.4. Software guidance.................................................................................................... 2 3.5. Energy Assessor number ......................................................................................... 2 3.6. Obtaining the UPRN ................................................................................................. 2 3.7. Entering dates in the software.................................................................................. 3 3.8. Selecting a "main" benchmark.................................................................................. 3 3.9. Generating the Advisory Report ............................................................................... 3 3.10. DEC & Advisory Report entries ................................................................................ 3 3.11. Producing DEC & Advisory Report........................................................................... 4 3.12. Producing DEC in Welsh.......................................................................................... 4 3.13. Extended hours ........................................................................................................ 4 3.14. Assessment periods & degree days data................................................................. 4 3.15. Updating the CIP ...................................................................................................... 4 4. Other issues .................................................................................................................... 5 4.1. Disseminating the Full Technical Table.................................................................... 5 4.2. Fuel measurement periods & nominated date ......................................................... 5 5. Assessors' & Schemes' duties ........................................................................................ 5
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3. Software issues
3.1. Downloading the software
The software has been released on a restricted access website. Access details (full website address, login, and password) have been released to the approved accreditation schemes. It is intended that the software will be made available by each accreditation scheme to their energy assessors accredited to produce DEC and AR. Depending on their organisation's IT settings, energy assessors may need permission to download software packages from external sources. Energy assessors who encounter problems downloading the software should seek advice from their internal IT support department, or their accreditation scheme.
3.2.
Installing the ORCALC software
Once the files have been downloaded, the software is installed by: · Opening the file downloaded, which will require WINZIP or equivalent, and · Opening the "setup.exe" file (note that the ".exe" may not appear depending on computer settings). Energy assessors will need full administrator's permission to their computer to successfully install the software. Energy assessors who encounter problems with the installation of the software should seek advice from their internal IT support, or their accreditation scheme.
3.3.
Screen resolution
The software is best used with a screen resolution of 1024 by 768 pixels. Energy assessors using the software on lower screen resolutions should use the scroll bar to scroll down the screen and ensure they review the entire screen before progressing to the next screen.
3.4.
Software guidance
The software provides guidance comments at the bottom of most screens. Comments vary depending on which field is active within the screen. Energy assessors should ensure that they read and understand the comments before completing the active field and progressing.
3.5.
Energy Assessor number
Each accredited energy assessor will be allocated a unique assessor number by their respective accreditation scheme. The format of this unique number is mandated by Government (i.e. four letters followed by six digits) and the software expects the format to be input correctly.
3.6.
Obtaining the UPRN
For each occupied area that requires a DEC, a Unique Property Reference Number (UPRN) must be obtained from either the Government's central register or an approved accreditation scheme.
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Accredited energy assessors with a valid digital certificate can access the restricted area of the central register's website at www.ndepcregister.com The UPRN is obtained by providing details of the occupied area e.g. full building address, floors occupied, etc. Alternatively, some accreditation scheme may provide a UPRN search service direct to their accredited energy assessors.
3.7.
Entering dates in the software
Software users must use the calendar function provided to enter dates (e.g. when defining fuel measurement periods or selecting the nominated date). The software does not currently allow dates to be typed in.
3.8.
Selecting a "main" benchmark
The software allows for a maximum of five building types, therefore five different benchmarks, to be specified where a building houses different activities. The simplified degree days correction is based on the degree days data available in the Central Information Point (CIP) for the selected "main" benchmark / activity. Guidance on how to select the "main" benchmark / activity is available in the Government's technical guidance document titled The Government methodology for the production of Operational Ratings, Display Energy Certificates and Advisory Reports.
3.9.
Generating the Advisory Report
When producing the advisory report, some questions (e.g. Fabric section: question 2 ; HVAC section: question 4 ; Alternative energy section: question 1) offer a choice of actual improvement recommendations to choose from. The proposed recommendations are optional. If the energy assessor deems that none of the proposed recommendations are applicable to the building under assessment, then no recommendation should be selected. The advisory report generation process allows the energy assessor to insert additional bespoke recommendations that are specific to the circumstances of the building being assessed.
3.10.
DEC & Advisory Report entries
There is some overlap between the data input required by in the DEC and the advisory report software modules (e.g. in the advisory report generation the data required under the "building information" section overlaps with the data required for the DEC). The software allows data input in the DEC module to be copied across in the advisory report module. This may be done by opening a DEC file that has been saved previously. If the energy assessor does not use this functionality of the software, then the energy assessor must ensure that the overlapping data input is identical between the DEC and advisory report modules.
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3.11.
Producing DEC & Advisory Report
By default the software produces DEC and advisory report with a "draft" watermark. Accredited energy assessors wishing to produce a "full" DEC or advisory report should: · Save the "library file" provided by their accreditation scheme (e.g. "VerifiedPlugin.dll") on their local computer drive. · Open the software and go to "navigate" / "settings" and browse to the location the "library file" has been saved. · Once the "library file" has been selected, the software will produce a full DEC and advisory report (with no "draft" watermark) when selecting the "export verified output" option on the final screen.
3.12.
Producing DEC in Welsh
The current version of the software does not allow the generation of DECs in Welsh. This functionality will be added to the software shortly.
3.13.
Extended hours
Energy assessors wishing to use the extended hours functionality of the software should: · Check the maximum allowed extended hours. This is displayed in the comments section at the bottom of the relevant screen. · Ensure that they are in possession of the required supporting evidence to allow a claim for extended hours of use. Details of the evidence required are provided in the technical guidance document.
3.14.
Assessment periods & degree days data
The Central Information Point (CIP) is updated monthly with additional degree days data for the previous month to ensure the relevant adjustments can be made for weather conditions. This means that if the DEC is produced in month M, the assessment period for the DEC should end in month M 1 (the previous month) to ensure sufficient degree days data is available, and adequate corrections can be made. Users of early access releases of the software should note that the dummy CIP data provided only allows for degree days corrections for years 2005, 2006, and 2007. Early access releases of the software cannot be used to produce legal DEC or advisory report.
3.15.
Updating the CIP
When calculating the Operational Rating (OR), the software checks that the Central Information Point (CIP) includes data (e.g. degree days) that are relevant to the specified DEC assessment period. Any mismatch between the CIP data (e.g. degree day data up to January 2008) and the DEC assessment period (e.g. March 2007 to March 2008) will generate an error message and prompt the user to download the latest CIP file available. The CIP is updated monthly with degree days data. CIP downloads are available from the restricted access website www.ndepcregister.com Accredited energy assessors should log on the website regularly, download the latest CIP data file, and save it on their local drive. Once the CIP file has been saved locally, the software user needs to direct the software to the location of the latest CIP file via the software menu using "navigate" / "settings" ; and then browsing to the CIP file location.
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4. Other issues
4.1. Disseminating the Full Technical Table
Energy assessors are to make the full technical table available to occupiers at the same time as a DEC is provided. As a minimum requirement, the full technical table should be provided as an electronic file (in PDF format). The occupier will decide whether / how the full technical table should be released to the public.
4.2.
Fuel measurement periods & nominated date
While checks are built-in to the software, energy assessors must ensure they specify fuel measurement periods, an assessment period, and a nominated date that are defined in accordance with the guidance provided. Energy assessors must be mindful that the quality of the energy consumption data obtained from building occupiers may affect the DEC rating.
5. Assessors' & Schemes' duties
The Government's OR calculation software package automatically performs a number of minimum quality checks to ensure satisfactory data input by software users. It is ultimately the accredited energy assessor's and the accreditation scheme's responsibilities (as producer, quality assuror and lodger of software outputs) to ensure that the information input into the software is in line with the Government-approved OR calculation methodology (see references in Introduction above).
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