Landlords of commercial premises will need to undertake a ‘Section 63 Action Plan’ for energy efficiency improvements from the 1st of September 2016.
This applies to any non domestic buildings over 1000m² eligible for an EPC for sale or rent. Section 63 Action Plans will find opportunities to improve the carbon and energy performance in a building, as well how these would be carried out through physical improvements to the property.
Owners can then chose to improve or defer improvements by reporting operational energy ratings (actual measured energy use via a Display Energy Certificate or ‘DEC’) on an annual basis. Section 63 Action Plans and DECs are lodged in the Scottish EPC Register and must be made available to prospective buyers or tenants.
Section 63 Action Plans will be produced by persons registered as a ‘section 63 advisor’, a new role.
You can find out more about the legislation and Section 63 Action Plans here.
These rules apply to Scotland only. For England and Wales, see the new MEES being rolled out from 2018.
