COVID-19 Update

England

MHCLG has now released its Coronavirus (COVID-19): Energy Performance Certificates (EPCs) Guidance. This document provides advice on meeting the regulatory requirement to secure a valid EPC during the Coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak. It is important to note that this updated advice applies only In England.

In summary;

• Energy Assessors are free to visit properties to carry out assessments. Assessors should follow the latest government guidance for working in other people’s homes. Where assessments are carried out, all public health guidance on social distancing must be followed. Companies should ensure employees understand how to operate safely and communicate this to customers.
• Assessors should contact the owners of the property to be assessed prior to the assessment to make sure they understand which areas will be assessed and ensure that all doors and access panels are open and surfaces have been cleaned with household cleaning products in line with public health advice. During a visit, members of the household should follow social distancing guidance, staying 2 metres away wherever possible, for example by staying in another room.
• No work should be carried out by a person who has coronavirus symptoms, however mild or anyone who has been asked to self-isolate.
• Assessors should wash their hands immediately upon entering the property, using separate towels or paper towels which need to be washed or disposed of safely after use.

The Home Moving guidance that applies in England can be read in full here. Please also read EPC Guidance for COVID-19 which applies in both England and Wales.

Scotland

Thee restrictions for moving house in Scotland have been relaxed. 

In summary;

• Energy Assessors involved in preparing the Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) are free to visit properties and should follow the latest guidance for employers and businesses on COVID-19.
• Energy Assessors should contact the household in advance to check that no member of the household is showing symptoms of COVID-19 or self-isolating. If they are, assessments should be delayed.
• Energy Assessors should also ensure that property occupiers understand which areas will be assessed, including external areas, and ensure that all doors and access panels are open and surfaces have been cleaned with household cleaning products in line with public health advice.
• Energy Assessors should disinfect their equipment between visits. They should also encourage households to ensure all internal doors are open and surfaces have been cleaned with standard household cleaning products prior to them entering the property.
• no work should be carried out by a person who has COVID-19 symptons (regardless of how mild), or by anyone who has been asked to self isolate.
• Members of the household, where possible, should vacate the property during an assessment. If not, Energy Assessors and occupiers should follow government guidelines on physical distancing and the use of face coverings.
• Energy Assessors should wash their hands using soap and water or use hand sanitiser before entering the property. If surveyors need to wash their hands in the property, separate towels or paper towels should be provided at the property and washed or disposed of safely after use.
• Energy Assessors should be clear in any assessments/reports about areas which they weren’t able to inspect due to public health limitations.

The full COVID-19 home moving guidance released by Scottish Government, can be accessed here. 

Northern Ireland

The document released by the Department for Communities in Northern Ireland, ‘Advice on home moving during COVID-19’, provides guidance on how everyone involved in the home move process must adjust their processes to ensure a safe return to market activity. There is a specific section within this document for Energy Assessors and Surveyors which confirms the following:

• Surveyors and Energy Assessors are free to visit properties to carry out surveys/valuations. Surveys/valuations could be in relation to any property transaction such as a sale, purchase, letting or renting or obtaining a mortgage or further advance or buying a further interest or share in a home or for any other purpose. Surveyors should follow the latest government guidance on social distancing and guidance provided by their professional or representative bodies. Companies should ensure employees understand how to operate safely and communicate this to customers.
• Surveyors and Energy Assessors should contact the owners of the property to be surveyed prior to the survey to make sure they understand which areas will be surveyed and ensure that all doors and access panels are open and
  surfaces have been cleaned with standard household cleaning products in line with public health advice. If it is not appropriate for occupiers to vacate the property, measures should be put in place to ensure physical contact is minimised during the survey.
• No work should be carried out by a person who has coronavirus symptoms, however mild or by anyone who has been asked to self isolate.
• Surveyors should wash their hands immediately upon entering the property, using separate towels or paper towels which need to be washed or disposed of safely after use.
• Surveyors should be clear in any reports about areas which they were nable to inspect due to public health limitations.

The full home moving advice from Northern Ireland's Deaprtment for Communities is available here.

Wales

It is now permissable for individuals to leave their local area or be indoors with other persons in order to:

• move house
• prepare a property for someone to move in
• visit an estate or letting agent, developer sales office or show home in connection with the purchase, sale or rental of an unoccupied property
• view an unoccupied property with a view to buying or renting it

Allowing Surveyors/Energy Assessors into the home

Energy Assessors/Surveyors are allowed into a property but will need to follow the workplace guidance for employers and employees which highlights 5 principles for workplace safety, as well as the physical distancing in the workplace guidance.

The Welsh Government’s advises that Energy Assessors/Surveyors and household members should be well and have no symptoms of coronavirus. No assessment should take place if a member of the household is showing symptoms of coronavirus or is self-isolating. 

It is also advised that assessments should take place by appointment only, with one person visiting the property at any time. 

Full guidance on moving home during COVID-19 available here.

The Environmental Agency for England, NRW for Wales and NIEA for Northern Ireland have agreed the following guidance for Lead Assessors:

ESOS Assessments

Where site visits are not currently possible you can continue to complete the ESOS assessment without a site visit where sufficient energy use data and other information for the selected site is available. In these instances please keep the information and decision documents in you evidence pack. A recommendation could be that further investigation is necessary for a given site to identify energy savings and these will need to be re-scheduled for completion at an appropriate date.

For Organisations

For organisations who are still required to complete their Phase 2 ESOS commitments they should carry on with this as best they can. If they are unable to complete their ESOS commitments due to Covid19 restrictions then please let the appropriate regulators know as soon as possible.

Any organisation that has received an ESOS Enforcement Notice will still be expected to comply with the Enforcement Notice or inform the appropriate Regulator why they will be unable to comply.

Contact details are provided below.

England: Environmental Agency - ESOS-enforcement@environmental-agency.gov.uk

Northern Ireland: NIEA - ipri@daera-ni.gov.uk

Wales: NRW - GHGHelp@naturalresourceswales.gov.uk

Scotland: SEPA are currently reviewing this guidance.

Yes.  An EPC for an existing building can only be lodged after an onsite visit and this continues to be part of the Scheme Operating Requirements (SOR) and Framework documents set out by government. Under established rules there is some small dispensation in England, Wales and Northern Ireland for domestic properties that are very similar, which is likely to be used for social housing providers; the full rules and details can be found in the ‘CLG Sampling Guidance doc, in the My Documents section of Access Elmhurst.

Yes. You should continue to submit evidence for all audit requests, however if you are unable to respond to a request by the due date (due to self-isolation or other mitigating circumstances), then please let the support team know at the earliest opportunity and we will do what we can to make alternative arrangements. We will endeavour to be as pragmatic as possible.

Elmhurst will be cancelling all training on a rolling four week basis and has offered to either postpone the course, or refund any money paid.

You can, however, book online training and cpd through our website and the Elmhurst Marketplace.

Should you have any queries about training please email: training@elmhurstenergy.co.uk 

Elmhurst will maintain its normal billing and credit control processes meaning that those who pay by direct debit get 45 days to pay. If you have temporary difficulties in paying your bill you should contact us at the earliest opportunity and we should be able to make arrangements to help you through this difficult period.

We have now fully adjusted to remote working which is good news for members, as our support teams can once again answer your technical queries by phone. With this in mind, we would now encourage members to call rather than email us should they have any technical queries (details below).

As there are no staff currently operating from our Head Office in Lutterworth, we would advise members to avoid mailing letters and parcels there. In some cases mail may be returned to the sender causing delays and confusion for all. If practical please call our support teams for advice on the best way to send information.

DEA Support: 01455 883 257

NDEA Support: 01455 883 231

OCDEA Support: 01455 883 236

Accounts: 01455 883 254

Government is responding to the crisis with wide ranging support for businesses: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/guidance-to-employers-and-businesses-about-covid-19/covid-19-support-for-businesses

Financial Support available to members may include;

• Self-employment Income Support Scheme
  https://www.gov.uk/guidance/claim-a-grant-through-the-coronavirus-covid-19-self-employment-income-support-scheme
• Coronavirus job retention scheme
• deferring VAT and Income Tax payments
• a Statutory Sick Pay relief package for SMEs
• a 12-month business rates holiday for all retail, hospitality and leisure businesses in England
• small business grant funding of £10,000 for all business in receipt of small business rate relief or rural rate relief
• grant funding of £25,000 for retail, hospitality and leisure businesses with property with a rateable value between £15,000 and £51,000
• the Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme offering loans of up to £5 million for SMEs through the British Business Bank
• a new lending facility from the Bank of England to help support liquidity among larger firms, helping them bridge coronavirus disruption to their cash flows through loans
• the HMRC Time To Pay Scheme