Display Energy Certificate (DEC)

Display Energy Certificates (DECs) were introduced by the British Government in response to the EU Energy Performance of Buildings Directive. DECs are designed to promote the improvement of the energy performance of public body buildings. They are based upon actual energy usage of a building and increase transparency about the energy efficiency of the public buildings.

Where the building has a total useful floor area of more than 1,000m², the DEC is valid for 12 months and the accompanying Recommendation Report is valid for seven years.

Where the building has a total useful floor area of between 250m² and 999m², the DEC and Recommendation Report are valid for 10 years.

The Recommendation Report (RR) is designed to help building owners and occupiers identify potential energy efficiency measures, with the aim of reducing carbon and improving the DEC rating.

DECs and RRs can only be undertaken by an accredited energy assessor using approved software, and must be lodged onto the gov.uk EPC portal to be valid. The penalty for failing to display a DEC where required is £500 and the penalty for not having an Recommendation Report available upon request is £1,000.

Do I need a DEC?​

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You need a DEC if you answer yes to all of the below:

• Building is occupied (not necessarily owned) by a publicly funded organisation

• Building is over 250 in floor area (GIA)

• ​Building is open or accessible at any time to members of the public, i.e. those not employed to be there.