BOB TOWSE, head of Technical and Safety at the HVCA, has warned that the new Energy Performance of Buildings legislation, which came into force in January, could be in danger of going the same way as domestic Home Information Packs, if individuals from outside the air-conditioning industry are allowed to become assessors.
Speaking on behalf of HVCA subsidiary BESCA, which has been authorised by Communities and Local Government (CLG) to run an energy assessor accreditation scheme for England and Wales, Towse said: “We are very concerned that individuals who are not experienced enough to provide the necessary advice may jeopardise the validity of inspections.

“At the moment, there is a serious shortage of suitably qualified people coming forward and there is a real danger that non-competent individuals from outside our industry could undertake training and become qualified without the experience required to make solid value judgments on energy performance or to provide sound technical advice on system improvements'.

He added “In a similar way to the HIPs becoming weakened in significance because anyone was able to become an assessor, rather than a competent building services engineer, the EPB could follow suit.”

Towse said the new regulations present a great business opportunity to many skilled individuals already working in the industry, who have the technical competence in air-conditioning and would be ideal to carry out energy inspections and assessments with minimal additional training.

The HVCA say the lucrative business prospects that the qualification promises, would soon pay back the modest cost of becoming an accredited energy assessor.

BESCA (Building Engineering Services Competence Accreditation Ltd) was established by the HVCA in 2006 to operate a Competent Persons scheme in England and Wales.

The BESCA Energy Assessor Accreditation Scheme certifies assessors to inspect both simple/packaged air-conditioning systems and complex/central systems. Engineers interested in becoming accredited inspectors should phone BESCA on 0800 652 5533.