Apply for this licence
If you operate as a domestic energy assessor in Scotland, you must be a member of an organisation which has been approved by the Scottish Government to deliver services in relation to energy performance certificates (EPCs).
A domestic energy assessor is qualified to assess the energy efficiency of houses and other residential properties and prepare EPCs and reports containing recommendations for the cost-effective improvement of the energy performance of those buildings.
This is a legal requirement when homes over 50 square metres are sold or rented.
Conditions
Your approved organisation is responsible for ensuring that you’re suitably qualified and accredited to conduct energy assessments.
Some organisations are only approved to provide EPC services for certain types of building, for example commercial buildings, so make sure you check this before applying.
How to apply
When you apply to join an approved organisation you must provide any supporting documents and application fee that the organisation requests.
Each approved organisation has its own application process and requirements for membership, but you’ll usually be required to provide details of your qualifications, training and fitness to carry out energy assessments.
You can search for an EPC assessor or approved organisation in your area by using the Scottish EPC register.
Once you’re a member, you must follow your organisation’s code of conduct.
You’ll usually be issued with an identity card and have to pay an annual membership fee to your organisation.
Further information
As a member of an approved organisation which produces domestic EPCs you must:
- carry out energy efficiency assessments on existing dwellings only
- collect data on the dimensions, construction, heating and hot water provision of the property and enter it into an approved software programme - Reduced Data Standard Assessment Procedure (RDSAP)
- produce energy performance certificates (EPCs) for homes on sale and for homes when rented out
RDSAP is the government approved standardised system for doing an energy survey on an existing dwelling, for example for homes being sold or rented out.
You must make sure that any EPC that you issue, and the associated data, is entered onto the relevant register kept by the Scottish Government before you give the document to the person who requested that it be issued.
If you want to produce EPCs you’ll need to get a basic Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) check carried out before you apply to an accreditation scheme as some schemes require it to be sent with the application form. If you already hold a standard or enhanced CRB check some accreditation schemes may accept this.
In the case of mixed use buildings - when the building is built, sold or rented out - EPCs should be produced for each dwelling and one or several EPCs produced for the non domestic area. If in doubt, get technical guidance.