No EPC C yet? Here’s what you can do to meet the EPC C obligation
A few months to go, and many office still don’t meet the EPC C requirement. Will your building be in compliance on 1 January 2023? If not, you won’t be allowed to use it as an office. To avoid losing your office space, it is important to check and double-check whether your area meets all the requirements for the EPC C. Read this article to find out what you can do in concrete terms.
EPC C mandatory for offices and social properties
Sustainability in construction is playing an increasingly important role in the Netherlands. The Dutch government continues to introduce measures intended to help sustainability gain momentum. The EPC C obligation for offices and social properties as of 1 January 2023 is one of these measures. This obligation was introduced because a large proportion of office buildings have an EPC of D or worse. Some buildings do not even have an EPC at all. From 2023, all such buildings can no longer be used as offices. And building owners may even be subject to a fine if the building does not meet the EPC C requirement.
Avoid a fine: check the EPCs of your office premises
To prevent your office building from no longer being allowed to be used as such, we recommend that you take a look at your current EPCs now. Once you have a good picture of the situation, you can take concrete steps to meet the EPC C obligation in 2023. Below are three scenarios that could apply to your office building or property portfolio. Consider your own scenario and learn about what you have to watch out for:
1. No EPC yet
Does your property not yet have an EPC? Then it’s important for you to act fast. If it turns out that your properties score lower than EPC C, you still have time to make changes. Get your building certified with an EPC according to the NTA 8800 standard, so that you will not have to worry about it for the near future.
2. EPC D to G
If the properties in your portfolio have EPC of D to G, you need to make a number of improvements before 2023. Fortunately, in most cases small improvements can mean big results. In an on-site energy scan, we look at the possibilities for increasing sustainability. This scan shows you where there is room for improvement and what you can do to get there. With the results, we draw up an action plan. This way you can easily see what measures you can take to improve your EPC and meet the EPC requirement.
3. EPC A to C
If your building already has an EPC C or higher, then you already meet the requirements that have been made mandatory for office buildings. And you can also sleep easier knowing you are already saving a lot on your energy bills. But that doesn’t mean it’s time to sit back and relax! The expectation is that the Dutch government will continue to increase the standards for buildings in the coming years. In its Climate Agreement, the government has agreed that all urban areas in the country must be CO2 neutral by 2050. That’s why it’s worth investigating energy-saving measures to be ready for the future. That way, you can choose the right moment to implement them.
Getting started with sustainability
Would you like to improve the EPC of your locations or request an energy scan? If so, don’t hesitate to contact us. We are happy to help you meet the EPC C requirement for social real estate and offices. We’ll start by talking with you to define your objectives and translate them into an attractive business case. This is how to prepare your real estate for the Paris Proof Ambition in a cost-effective way.
