Apply for this licence
If you operate as an on-construction domestic energy assessor in Northern Ireland you must be suitably qualified and a member of an accreditation scheme which covers the types of work you undertake and is approved by the Department of Finance and Personnel (DFP).
An on-construction domestic energy assessor is qualified to assess the energy efficiency of new build homes from plans and produce energy performance certificates (EPCs) and reports containing recommendations for the cost-effective improvement of the energy performance of those buildings.
To join an accreditation scheme you must either:
- hold a current qualification in energy inspection - this forms part of a National Occupational Standard (NOS) in Energy Inspection
- have approved prior experience and learning equivalent to the NOS requirements - this is gained via the Accreditation of Prior Experiential Learning (APEL) route
For the APEL route you will have to show evidence of experience creating Standard Assessment Procedure (SAP) reports and may have to provide sample energy performance certificates (EPCs) you have produced.
SAP is the procedure for energy assessments of domestic premises. It is used to show that they comply with Part F 2006 of the Building Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2000.
Qualifications or APEL may only be valid for specific areas of energy inspection, eg for certain energy assessment methodologies or types of building. You may only conduct inspections in areas covered by your current qualification/APEL.
To become accredited you must complete an application form and provide any supporting documents and application fee that the accreditation scheme requests.
Each scheme has its own application form and requirements for membership, but you will always be required to provide evidence of your qualifications/APEL and your fitness and suitability to carry out energy assessments.
You can find a list of approved schemes on the DFP website.
You will usually be issued with an identity card and have to pay an annual membership fee to your scheme.
An assessor from Northern Ireland accredited by an approved scheme also qualifies to work in England and Wales.
In order to become accredited, you will have to:
- show that you can carry out consistent and accurate energy assessments in an independent manner
- show that you are a fit, proper and qualified to carry out energy assessments
- prepare EPCs and recommendation reports using a standardised format
- follow your scheme’s Code of Conduct
- enter any EPC or recommendation report that you produce and the data used to produce the document or EPC onto the relevant register held by Landmark on behalf of DFP
Conditions
You must carry out energy assessments with reasonable care and skill. When you issue an EPC, you must issue with it a recommendation report containing your recommendations for the cost-effective improvement of the energy performance of the dwelling.
When issuing an EPC, you must include a declaration of any personal or business relationship that you have with:
- any person who commissioned the certificate, or on whose behalf the certificate was commissioned - or any person who you believe may have a personal or business relationship with such a person
- any person who you believe may have an interest in the dwelling