BRE Scotland
Approved Certifier of Design Schemes
Section 6 (Energy) Scottish Building Standards
Summer 2013
Newsletter
Dear ACD Colleague,
Summer arrived, and hopefully you managed to get some benefit from the favourable weather.
The economic climate is reported as also improving bringing opportunity for Energy Certification and beyond. This newsletter draws your attention to current and mid-term issues that have been raised that you may find of interest.
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Building Standards 2013 Technical Handbooks
In June, the ACD Scheme flagged up that the Building Standards 2013 Technical Handbooks had been published by BSD. Their documents set out the review of changes to building regulations and guidance. It is anticipated that the changes to the Building Standards will be confirmed in early 2014. The ACD Scheme will keep you advised of any significant developments as we receive detail.
The handbooks are available, free of charge, in electronic format only. They can be viewed or downloaded from the BSD website at –
New Build EPC Schemes
The recent progression of operations with the EST Register has accelerated the registration of New Build EPC Certifiers. As ACD members can no longer issue the EPC on completion of the build. BRE, invites those who have not yet applied for New Build EPC membership to do so. This will help support your service offer to clients and retain the authority to issue the final EPC as before.Applications can be downloaded from this link:
BRE EPC Joining Information
Green Deal and ECO
The hot topic of 2013 is Green Deal which is a process to promote energy efficiency in existing buildings via Green Deal and ECO. The Green Deal is a government backed initiative promoting the installation of energy efficiency measures to householders which will reduce energy use leading to lower energy bills. There will be no upfront cost to the householder; instead a finance package will be repaid via a charge on their existing electricity bill over a specified period. The Green Deal ‘Golden Rule’, set out in legislation, specifiesthat any additional charge on the electricity bill must be less than the expected savings fromthe retrofit over the specified period.
The Energy Company Obligation (ECO) is set to replace CERT and CESP and is designed to work with Green Deal to provide additional funding for the fuel poor and to drive more expensive measures e.g. solid wall insulation.If you would like to find out more on Green Deal try this link: Green Deal Explained
You may also want to try the BRE dedicated Green Deal web based resource that is free to access on this link:BRE Green Deal
Foresight Construction Management
The ACD Scheme has been made aware by a number of members that they have been contacted by Foresight Construction Management (FCS) who offer a document management system (DMS). The Building Standards Division (BSD) of the Scottish Government has confirmed that Foresight’s DMS has not been submitted for approval by BSD nor is there a mechanism by which it would or could be approved.
ACD Members are reminded that the use of DMS or the adoption of standardised details does not relieve designers of their design liability and Approved Certifiers of Design of their responsibilities when certifying compliance with Section 6 – Energy. BRE has no evidence that would support any claim that an FCS – DMS system is endorsed by BSD, RIAS or any other authorised or informed party in Scotland.
Low Carbon Skills Fund
The need to develop Low Carbon Skills in Scotland is recognised as a priority area by the Scottish Government. Skills Development Scotland (SDS) are offering financial support for eligible applicants to the Low Carbon Skills Fund (LCSF) to assistfirms and individual who which to upskill.The LCSF offers employers in Scotland, with up to 250 employees, the opportunity to apply for up to £12,500 towards employee training costs. By increasing expertise in this growth area, businesses can harness the opportunities offered by our natural resources to make Scotland a world leader in sustainable energy.
BRE’s energy training courses are eligible for funding by the LCSF.
If you would like to more details of the LCSF, please visit theSkills Development Scotlandweb site.
You can download their application form here. Please remember that you should submit an application to SDS before committing to any low carbon skills training.
Low Carbon SkillsFund Application.
SDS Helplines:Employers0800 783 6000 Individuals0800 917 8000
BRE Green Deal
Green Deal training courseswill also attract LCSF support. For more details on how to engage with Green Deal use this link:Green Deal AdvisorTraining
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Contact:
Stephen McKay
ACD Scheme Manager
BRE Scotland
Orion House, Bramah Avenue, Scottish Enterprise Technology Park
East Kilbride, G75 0RD
Tel. No. 01355 576200
Email:
Web:
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