Stroma – Helping you create energy efficient buildings

Estates Review talks to Stroma about the procedures surrounding Energy Performance Certificates

It’s a well known fact that 40 percent of all carbon dioxide emissions come from buildings. With the increase in the amount of this greenhouse gas in our atmosphere, and the pressure on estate managers and landlords to reduce carbon emissions from their buildings, it has never been more important to address energy efficiency. The latest regulations are aimed at doing this by introducing a national standard for the energy performance of buildings.

Understanding and achieving the regulations can be difficult. The reason Stroma has grown so rapidly in recent years is because the company provides a complete project management service from the actual design of a building, specialist testing and contracting services and installing renewable energy systems, right through to training and issuing of an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC), all of which is designed to ensure a building meets its energy performance requirements.

From 6th April 2008, it became a mandatory requirement that all new buildings or existing buildings that are being sold or rented, other than dwellings, with a floor area over 10,000sq metres requires an EPC. This is being followed in July 2008 by a requirement for EPCs on the construction, sale or rent of buildings, other than dwellings with a floor area over 2,500sq metres. From 1st October 2008, this will be extended to the construction, sale or rent of all remaining buildings other than dwellings and will also require Display Energy Certificates (DEC) on all public buildings over 1,000sq metres.

Stroma Design
Starting at pre-planning stage, Stroma Design offers architecture, general design services, compliance, consultancy and advice on all aspects of designing sustainable buildings. The RIBA-accredited business is renowned for the expert advice it offers in helping developers to achieve well planned, sustainable buildings for the future.

Stroma Accreditation
For premises owners and estate managers, Stroma Accreditation provides training, software assessment and licensing for the Code for Sustainable Homes, as well as for all other residential, commercial and public energy assessment requirements, such as SAP, DEA, SBEM/ DSM and DEC. Stroma Accreditation, which is a Communities and Local Government (CLG) approved governing accreditation body offers accredited training and licensing for your team to become energy assessors. By working closely with CLG, Landmark and other parties, Stroma Accreditation can offer a clear route for energy assessors from design software and actual energy assessment, through to lodgement of the EPC (Energy Performance Certificate) and the RR (Recommendation Report).

As all dwellings now require an EPC, it has never been more important to have trained in-house assessors to make the whole process as cost-effective and straightforward as possible.

Stroma Accreditation offer two routes to becoming an accredited energy assessor. Existing assessors can upgrade to the Stroma EPC Accreditation Scheme via Approved Prior Experience and Learning (APEL) route, which recognises the experience of the assessor offering a fast track and cost saving route. For candidates without relevant experience, Stroma offers a diploma route through the National Occupation Standard (NOS) Qualification(s), which facilitates entry through completion of a diploma.  Awarded by either ABBE or City and Guilds, specialist awarding bodies for the Built Environment industry sector.

The rapid growth of the business over the past five years is due to its dedication to helping estates managers, contractors and developers to meet their requirements. Its success is down to its expertise, understanding of the regulations and providing a complete project management service from building design to specific sub-contractor services.

For more details on achieving building sustainability and compliance, contact Stroma on 0845 621 1111 or visit the website www.stroma.com.