The energy assessment and retrofit sector has changed more in the last three years than in the previous ten. RdSAP 10, MEES reform, the Future Homes Standard, PAS 2035 revisions, retrofit competency frameworks. The pace of regulatory and technical change shows no sign of slowing. In that environment, Continuing Professional Development (CPD) has become increasingly important in helping assessors maintain their knowledge, build confidence and support their ongoing development.

From Compliance to Competence

Every Elmhurst member is required to complete a minimum of 10 hours of CPD per year as a condition of their membership*. For many, CPD may be something that is completed towards the end of the year, rather than something built into day-to-day working life. That’s understandable; everyone is busy and CPD can sometimes feel like another administrative task alongside the demands of the job.

However, CPD can offer much more than simply meeting an annual requirement. Keeping a regular record of learning and development helps build a clear picture of growing expertise. Uploading evidence as it happens – a webinar attended, a new standard studied or a new qualification added – can create a richer, more complete record of professional development. It can also make keeping CPD records up to date much easier throughout the year.

Keeping Up with Industry Changes

Passing a qualification demonstrates that you met the required standard at that point in your career. CPD helps you build on that foundation and keep pace as standards, methodologies and requirements evolve. With RdSAP 10 changing how airtightness and other inputs are assessed, and MEES reshaping compliance requirements and deadlines for landlords in the private and social rented sectors, keeping knowledge current is becoming increasingly important.

Retrofit adds another layer. As standards like PAS 2035 and BS 40104 continue to evolve, and new and proposed requirements for EPC C or equivalent by 2030 place pressure on the market, energy and retrofit professionals need structured CPD to stay informed and support the clients and organisations relying on their judgement. Competence, in other words, is something that continues to develop throughout a professional career.

Top Tips for Building CPD into the Working Year

Practically, that means treating CPD less like a one-off task and more like an ongoing habit:

Log as you learn – Upload evidence regularly rather than trying to reconstruct a year’s development from memory later.
Mix formal and informal learning – Structured courses matter, but so do webinars, technical bulletins and software guides.
Target your development – Use CPD deliberately to build knowledge in the areas most relevant to your day-to-day work – whether that’s a new methodology, a scheme change or an area identified through a recent audit.
Make it visible – A well-maintained CPD record can also be a valuable professional asset, helping to demonstrate ongoing development to clients, employers and accreditation bodies.

The Bigger Picture

None of this happens in isolation. The organisations and schemes that support assessors also have an important role to play in making CPD easy to record, relevant to real practice and clearly connected to professional development, rather than simply membership renewal. Providing accessible, useful learning opportunities can help professionals engage with CPD in a way that supports both their work and their longer-term development.

The sector is being asked to deliver more accurate assessments, more credible retrofit advice and more consistent standards, all while the technical requirements continue to evolve. CPD helps individual assessors keep up with those changes and supports the profession as a whole in maintaining the knowledge, confidence and standards expected by clients and consumers.

*Of the CPD completed each year, at least 50% must be certified CPD, with a further five hours required for each additional strand of accreditation.