Which Residential Assessment Energy Service?
Residential Energy Assessment is a broad term that can cover a wide range of services, so who better to explain what Mainer has to offer, than our new energy expert Chris Stevens-Barnes.
In this Blog, Mainer sits down with Chris Stevens-Barnes to chat about his experience, why he chose to join to Mainer and how he is expanding our Residential Energy Assessments services.
To contact Chris, please email:
Chris Steven-Barnes
Senior Sustainability Consultant
Chris.Stevens-Barnes@mainer.co.uk
So Chris, can I ask about your background?
I completed my undergraduate degree in Environmental Science and after a period of working in finance, I then undertook my masters degree in Energy and Environment. I subsequently joined an energy accreditation firm and provided assistance and guidance to energy assessors as well as auditing their submissions to ensure legal compliance. Following a house move, I set up my own business working on the other side of the fence and became an energy assessor, completing calculations for a variety of clients.
You obviously bring a lot of experience to Mainer, what made you join us?
I had been running my own business for over 4 years and while I enjoyed the flexibility, I missed being part of a team and camaraderie and collaboration that comes with that. Mainer offered the chance to be part of really great team as well as the opportunity to expand my skills and I was really happy to join.
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Residential Energy Assessment Services
With your addition, Mainer have expanded our REA services, but which services do you think you’ll be able to add the most experience to?
I’ve been involved with EPCs as a Domestic Energy Assessor (DEA) for around 10 years and have also been completing SAP calculations as an On Construction Domestic Energy Assessor (OCDEA) for most of that. So I have a great deal of experience with both of these, assisting clients with all aspects of Part L compliance from planning through to sign-off and completion. Alongside this I produce u-value calculations, generally as part of SAP calculations, but often for standalone projects which may need to demonstrate certain standards or prove there is no condensation risk.
Which services do you think our clients are going to need the most in the future?
In addition to SAP calculations/EPCs, which are required for compliance purposes, thermal bridging calculations will be needed more. Accredited Construction Details (ACDs) were the standard options that most developers used but these were dated and have been removed from the latest version of Part L. We can complete thermal bridging calculations in both 2D and 3D in order to achieve Part L compliance.
Part O was introduced with the latest update to the Building Regulations last year and only applies to domestic dwellings. Its aim is to ensure that buildings are designed to reduce overheating and calculations will be required for all new domestic properties. We can provide calculations using both the Simplified Method and Dynamic Thermal Modelling.
You mentioned DEA and OCDEA, what other accreditations do you have?
I am also a fully accredited Non Domestic Energy Assessor (NDEA) so I can complete Part L compliance and EPCs for existing and new build commercial buildings. In addition, I am a licenced BREEAM Assessor, a BREEAM AP and a NABERS UK licenced assessor.
Are there any updates coming that we need to know about?
The Government should be issuing the Future Homes Standard consultation this year, which will set out the potential changes to Part L due to come into force in 2025. This is meant to be a pathway for domestic properties to become zero carbon and will likely introduce more stringent fabric requirements as well as potential for banning mains gas connections to domestic dwellings. At Mainer, we are keeping abreast of all the potential changes and are able to provide this service to our clients to ensure there is no danger of not complying with the relevant legislation.
There are also proposed changes to the Minimum Energy Efficiency Standards (MEES) which set out the EPC rating requirements for privately rented properties. This would lift the minimum E requirement to a C and would mean a lot of properties requiring improvements to meet this level. At Mainer, we can review the existing EPC levels and then look at improvement pathways to achieve the desired rating in the most cost efficient manner.
Why should people come to Mainer for their Residential Energy Assessments?
We have a wealth of experience within the team dealing with a variety of projects from one-off bespoke houses to large multi-plot and multi-phase developments. We never aim to just provide a box-ticking exercise and always work with clients to achieve the most-effective solution for compliance, whilst also promoting the most sustainable options available.
Anything else we need to know?
As mentioned above, I can assist with energy assessments on commercial buildings as well as with BREEAM and NABERS assessments. Please get in touch on any aspects of energy or sustainability assessments and I will be more than happy to help!
Thank you Chris…
For more info on our Residential Energy Assessment Services, please visit our Building Physics page.
If you have a project specific enquiry, please email Chris at Chris.Stevens-Barnes@mainer.co.uk or for a general enquiry please contact us here