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VOLDEC HELP MANUAL

Version v2

July 2017

Developed by:

National Energy Foundation:

Malcolm Hanna

National Energy Foundation

Davy Avenue

Knowlhill

Milton Keynes MK5 8NG

T: 01908 256924

malcolm.hanna@nef.org.uk

Building Energy Solutions:

Phil Jones

Building Energy Solutions

42 Santley Street

London

SW4 7QD

07714 203 045

philjones100@virginmedia.com

CO N TENTS

1. WHAT ARE VOLDEC’s? .................................................................................................. 3

1.1 Our VolDEC approach ............................................................................................. 3

1.2 VolDEC methodology............................................................................................... 3

1.3 The VolDEC story so far .......................................................................................... 4

1.4 Partnership project.................................................... Error! Bookmark not defined.

2. WHY VOLDECs ............................................................................................................... 4

2.1 The need for VolDECs ............................................................................................. 4

2.2 The challenge .......................................................................................................... 4

2.3 Display Energy Certificates ...................................................................................... 5

2.4 Our Aims.................................................................................................................. 5

3. BENEFITS OF VOLDECS................................................................................................ 5

4. BUILDING SECTORS...................................................................................................... 6

4.1 Sector-specific ......................................................................................................... 7

5. THE VOLDEC METHODOLOGY ..................................................................................... 7

6. DATA REQUIREMENTS.................................................................................................. 8

7. LANDLORD TENANT VOLDECS..................................................................................... 9

8. VERIFICATION & AUDITING......................................................................................... 14

9. DATA QUALITY ............................................................................................................. 14

10. TERMS & CONDITIONS ........................................................................................... 15

11. SUCCESS STORIES................................................................................................. 17

12. ABOUT US ................................................................................................................ 17

13. CONTACT US ........................................................................................................... 19

Version Control

VERSION

DATE

ISSUED BY

CHECKED BY

Version v1

10.7.17

Phil Jones

Malcolm Hannah

Version v2

12.7.17

Phil Jones

Malcolm Hannah

2 ©National Energy Foundation & Building Energy Solutions

VOLDEC HELP MANUAL

1. WHAT ARE VOLDEC’S?

VolDECs (Voluntary Display Energy Certificates) are a new and innovative voluntary

operational energy performance rating scheme for non-domestic buildings. Initially designed

for commercial office buildings these are now being developed for other sectors. This is a not-

for-profit scheme and the ratings are based on relatively simple data, making them

inexpensive and quick to produce.

VolDECs have been developed as commercial office buildings don’t have an appropriate

means of measuring and highlighting energy performance in a relatively simple and consistent

way. In particular, there are issues associated with the landlord and tenant energy split and

the lack of relevant benchmarks to enable performance to be measured and compared

sensibly and consistently.

1.1 Our VolDEC approach

Our new approach separates tenant energy use from that of the landlord and the common

parts of the building (with the data being displayed either individually or on the same

certificate). This provides property owners and operators with cost-effective, user-friendly

energy ratings for areas of a building that they control or manage, and are able to improve.

Whole Building (Landlord only) VolDEC Landlord-Tenant VolDEC

1.2 VolDEC methodology

Based on mandatory Display Energy Certificate (DEC) methodology and making use of

relatively simple data, the scheme allows energy managers to easily and inexpensively

3 ©National Energy Foundation & Building Energy Solutions

identify the energy performance of their building(s) relative to other buildings they operate or

others in the same sector. VolDECs also use more granular benchmarks than statutory DECs

to give a more robust rating for performance.

1.3 The VolDEC story so far

The VolDEC story so far has been summarised in a paper and presentation ‘The

Development of a Voluntary DEC Rating Scheme’ that the team presented at the CIBSE

Technical Symposium in 2015. This began with a whole building certificate and then

expanded to provide a Landlord –Tenant split assessment.

Since then, VolDECs have been further developed to:

• Provide an environmental certificate covering waste and water

• Added a wide range of benchmarks for different building types

• Provide a certificate for the Landlord performance in shopping centres and car parks

• A new platform to allow client input online

• Expansion of VolDEC to now include most main non-domestic building types

• Automatic checks on the input data to provide WARNINGS to the client where data

may be poor quality

Our not-for-profit VolDEC scheme has been developed by a working partnership between the

National Energy Foundation and Phil Jones of Building Energy Solutions.

2. WHY VOLDECS

2.1 The need for VolDECs

There’s a growing need across all sectors for those responsible for buildings to monitor and

manage their energy use better – whether it’s driven by the commercial bottom line, the ‘push’

of government legislation and initiatives, the desire to combat climate change, or the comfort

and productivity of occupants.

Evaluating a building’s energy performance enables you to manage energy use better and to

identify and prioritise opportunities for energy-related improvements – whether they’re capital

investment, occupant education or building modifications.

2.2 The challenge

It can often be a challenge to understand how much energy a building is using. However, the

old adage: “If you don’t measure it, you can’t manage it” applies – but many people

responsible for buildings often don’t know what to measure, how to measure it, how often it

should be measured or how to interpret the data.

The first stage of a prioritised energy efficiency plan is to assemble some simple key data and

information. The aim of VolDECs is to use this information to compare the performance of a

building, or buildings either across a portfolio, or against published UK benchmarks for the

same type. VolDECs also track the performance of a building against itself over the last three

years.

Comparing buildings with each other and also with others of a similar design or use is another

benefit of VolDECs; and energy managers are able to identify potential opportunities for

energy efficiency improvement and to prioritise further, more detailed investigations.

2.3 Display Energy Certificates

In 2010 the Government decided not to mandate Display Energy Certificates (DECs) in

commercial buildings. VolDECs address this shortcoming by offering a voluntary scheme

that’s free from Government constraints and will hopefully gain the full backing of the industry.

The scheme recognises the potential for:

• Gaining a deeper analysis and a better understanding of building energy performance

• Improving benchmarking standards that will benefit the whole sector

Statutory DECs provide a good starting point, but they have their shortcomings. Our VolDEC

methodology aims to address these shortcomings, including the lack of flexibility in available

benchmarks and the inability to split out performance. VolDECs also address issues that

many buildings are stuck at a G rating with no clear direction on how to improve performance.

2.4 Our Aims

Our aims with VolDECs are to:

 Establish a consistent methodology and quality assurance across the industry

 Provide a voluntary scheme without government constraints

 Provide a not-for-profit solution, for the benefit of the industry, backed by the industry

 Use authoritative sector-specific benchmarks

 Highlight performance, encourage action and improvement

 Conduct benchmarking research for the industry

 Soft start the commercial sector into measuring performance

 Encourage deeper analysis to benefit building operators, designers and the whole

industry

3. BENEFITS OF VOLDECS

VolDECs provide you with a number of benefits:

Various external and internal pressures mean that, for most organisations across all sectors,

energy performance evaluation is fast-becoming unavoidably essential. Some see it as a

burden but the more enlightened view is that it provides benefits for all their stakeholders –

from shareholders to employees to customers and occupants.

The benefits of VolDECs are that they:

• Highlight energy performance and provide a clear driver for improving

performance

• Are a stand-alone entry level engagement tool – based on relatively simple data,

making them easy to produce and inexpensive

• Establish a consistent methodology and quality level across the industry

• Provide landlords and tenants with comparative energy performance of the areas

that they control

• Offer a starting point for tenant engagement

• Use robust DEC methods but with more appropriate benchmarks and an extended

scale for greater performance differentiation

• Have been piloted in various multi-tenanted offices, and are now being developed

for other sectors and building owners/operators