Energy certification in buildings a review of the EPC software for non-dwellings in Malta

Abstract

Malta joined the European Union in 2004. It was only five years later, in 2009 that the Energy Performance Certification for buildings started to be locally enforced, in line with the Energy Performance Building Directive (EPBD) (Directive 2002/91/EC and its recast 2010/31/EU). The scope of this dissertation is to assess the software being used to issue Energy Performance Certificates (EPC’s) for Commercial Buildings in Malta. Given that the current software was based on the iSBEM-uk model which has been adopted and upgraded to investigate and energy evaluate buildings in Malta, this dissertation analyses the calculation methodology which has been adopted to achieve the energy performance rating. In order to understand the fundamentals behind the compilation of the software, various legislation, standards, and EU directives were examined. One of the main documents which sets a benchmark within the local software is the Technical Guidance Document, Part F of the Maltese Building Regulations issued by the BICC. This document lists all the minimum requirements for Energy Conservation, Fuel Conservation, and the use of Natural Resources in Buildings in Malta. For the scope of this exercise, this document was analysed in detail. Several points and suggestions have been found, one of which was that it was not clear under which category of commercial buildings do industrial buildings fall part of. The study then goes through a step by step procedure within the iSBEM-mt software which an assessor should go through in order to issue an EPC. From this study, several points were identified how the final EPC may represent a more accurate illustration of the real energy profile and performance of the building. One such example was the fixed efficacy values for different lamp types where LED’s are not listed as the most efficient. This is in contrast to the best available technology found today. In addition to the above, an assessment of a sample building was made using the iSBEM-mt software. The final energy ratings were compared to several improvements in the building fabric and Mechanical and Electrical Building Services. These were used to identify the cost effectiveness of increasing the minimum requirements stipulated in the Technical Guide F. The above study was then substantiated with a number of questionnaires which were directed to a number of professionals in the field. Such professionals include EPC assessors, Architects, Engineers and Real estate Agents.