Advice from architects ref. energy rating

I work in Marketing in Dublin. Mail shots are a huge part of many companies communications strategy. However, you have to be aware of peoples perception of “junk mail”. There’s a company, http://www.snazzybags.com , they produce flashy, modern packaging – ideal for mail shots. You can get a free sample. They’re based in Dublin. It’s a good way of getting YOUR message noticed when it comes through the letterbox. I’ve seen them where I work and they’re good.

As for the rest of you promo efforts – a decent website always adds to the credibility of a company.

The golden pages is always a winner, a few ads, if your budget allows it, in relative trade journals etc. Look into Google AdWords also – so if someone googles “energy rating ireland” then your company site will be high up on the list!

But the mail shots are definately worthwhile – clear message, with contact details, have a unique selling point: The first energy rating co. in the country, will call to your house – personalised service etc.. Sorry don’t know enough about what exactly the business would entail! Do follow up calls after to send the mail shots to confim the right person got it etc.

There will be alot of talk around the energy rating stuff over the next few months – it’s interesting to note that energy ratings have been in the UK for a bit but there’s no real emphasis on it – this may change though. I presume the way things are going it will be more heavily controlled in Ireland. Hope this is of help!

Ok, I think I went on a bit in this message!!!!! Sorry, hope it’s of some use 🙂

@rebel_city wrote:

I work in Marketing in Dublin. Mail shots are a huge part of many companies communications strategy. However, you have to be aware of peoples perception of “junk mail”. There’s a company, http://www.snazzybags.com , they produce flashy, modern packaging – ideal for mail shots. You can get a free sample. They’re based in Dublin. It’s a good way of getting YOUR message noticed when it comes through the letterbox. I’ve seen them where I work and they’re good.

Cheers. Will check this option out.

@rebel_city wrote:

a decent website always adds to the credibility of a company.

Agreed. I am working on this myself at the moment. I should have enough skills in this department to get a reasonably presentable website off the ground.

@rebel_city wrote:

The golden pages is always a winner, a few ads, if your budget allows it, in relative trade journals etc.

Is the golden pages really as worthwhile as it once was? I know a family member who has cancelled his ad with them – said it was a waste of time anymore relative to the cost. I suppose it depends on the product/service offered.

@rebel_city wrote:

Look into Google AdWords also – so if someone googles “energy rating ireland” then your company site will be high up on the list!

Yeah – I think this would be worthwhile -in principal. Need to check it out further to see how much they charge.
@rebel_city wrote:

But the mail shots are definately worthwhile – clear message, with contact details, have a unique selling point: The first energy rating co. in the country, will call to your house – personalised service etc.. Sorry don’t know enough about what exactly the business would entail! Do follow up calls after to send the mail shots to confim the right person got it etc.

Its something I will have to put a bit of thought into if I go to the trouble & expense of it.

Thanks for posting.

I would still be very interested to get feedback from any architects on here. Would you be likely to retain the details of at least one (energy audit) service provider for the benefit of your clients ie. builders & developers. Or would I be better off targeting them directly?

You could also try some sponsorship or advertising in riai journal / archiseek newsletters etc

Pity there isn’t a carbon trust to get individuals like this to form into an orderly market with ancillary back up provided.

I’m not sure if bulk mail really conveys the eco-aware image you require. Particularly mail shots wrapped in plastic bags. No matter how snazzy…

rebel_city is corect that there will be a lot of talk about this area – How about making sure you’re the one doing the talking? Do you have the background, enthusism and presentation skills to be the person the media want to talk to? Maybe instead you get someone involved to front the company? I think there’s a gap in the media spokesperson market. Duncan can’t do it all!

good popint – issue a really good press release about ths issues – one that can readily be published as an article and maybe you’ll get some column inches….

could you write a series of articles on the issues? if so i’ll publish them and you’ll get some exposure

@Lotts wrote:

I’m not sure if bulk mail really conveys the eco-aware image you require. Particularly mail shots wrapped in plastic bags. No matter how snazzy….

Good Point.

@Lotts wrote:

…a lot of talk about this area – How about making sure you’re the one doing the talking? Do you have the background, enthusism and presentation skills to be the person the media want to talk to?

@Paul Clerkin wrote:

good point – issue a really good press release about ths issues – one that can readily be published as an article and maybe you’ll get some column inches…..

This wasnt the approach I had envisaged as such. Given that I will be a licensed site assessor working within the framework established by Sustainable Energy Ireland (SEI), its their baby and they will be the ones interfacing with the media when the issue is hightlighted again. I suspect this will be round the time of the actual implementation of the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD) with regard to the auditing of new dwellings in January.
My target customer from Jan. ’07 until 2009 will be builders/Developers. From 2009 onwards, the second part of the EPBD will be implemented – requiring a energy rating cert. also for existing dwellings once they are put on the market or rented accomodation prior to letting.
Builders will be required to have these energy rating certs for any dwelling they put on the market (that had planning applied for after July 07 & offered for sale in the new year). As this is a new requirement for them, they wont have an existing relationship with an energy survey service provider. My purpose is to get my name out there so that when they go looking to get an energy rating certificate, they will be pointed in my direction. Hence my original query as to whether builders are likely to consult with professionals such as yourselves when they are unaware of who can provide such a service.

@energy_audit wrote:

Good Point.

This wasnt the approach I had envisaged as such. Given that I will be a licensed site assessor working within the framework established by Sustainable Energy Ireland (SEI), its their baby and they will be the ones interfacing with the media when the issue is hightlighted again. I suspect this will be round the time of the actual implementation of the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD) with regard to the auditing of new dwellings in January.
My target customer from Jan. ’07 until 2009 will be builders/Developers. From 2009 onwards, the second part of the EPBD will be implemented – requiring a energy rating cert. also for existing dwellings once they are put on the market or rented accomodation prior to letting.
Builders will be required to have these energy rating certs for any dwelling they put on the market (that had planning applied for after July 07 & offered for sale in the new year). As this is a new requirement for them, they wont have an existing relationship with an energy survey service provider. My purpose is to get my name out there so that when they go looking to get an energy rating certificate, they will be pointed in my direction. Hence my original query as to whether builders are likely to consult with professionals such as yourselves when they are unaware of who can provide such a service.

The SEI may have a framework but does not have any courses yet,awards body or approved and validated course providers for up to 2000 BER assessors nationwide for the approved register of assessors which will be set up on their website and hope to have the courses starting winter 2006 – slim chance of that at this stage I’d say.

Anyone with approved accreditation can do the BER’s which could actually be Builders or their representatives so not exclusivly members of the Architectural profession.
Anyone thinking that there is a goldmine out there with this are making a mistake.

@Spinal Tap wrote:

The SEI may have a framework but does not have any courses yet,awards body or approved and validated course providers for up to 2000 BER assessors nationwide for the approved register of assessors which will be set up on their website and hope to have the courses starting winter 2006 – slim chance of that at this stage I’d say.

The nature of these things would indicate that this initiative will not commence from 1st January. However, all the info that I can gather from a number of sources indicate that it will be. Once the software is made available, courses will come ontrack immediately after this. The assessment methodology is little different from the uk model. Furthermore, it is very similar to energy audit systems already offered by other bodies/course providers. People who are already involved will only need to do a ‘top up’ course in order to go forward for registration with the SEI.
If it really was a case that 2000 assessors (or even half this figure), there would be no way this would be setup in time for 1st January. However, given that there will be a low demand for energy auditing initially ( new dwellings subject to this requirement will have to filter through the planning system – as it only applies to those with planning after 1st July 2006), there will be little need for so many assessors.
The SEI suggested that 2000 need to be trained on the basis that this will probably leave 1,000 assessors who would then actively pursue the work. The reality is that only a fraction of this figure will be needed in order to fulfill the assessment requirements on new housing stock as it comes to market.
I should know more shortly as I will be attending an SEI update on the process tonight.
@Spinal Tap wrote:

Anyone with approved accreditation can do the BER’s which could actually be Builders or their representatives so not exclusivly members of the Architectural profession.

True. From an assessors point of view, its an open market which will regulate itself.
@Spinal Tap wrote:

Anyone thinking that there is a goldmine out there with this are making a mistake.

Agreed. Just in case I gave this impression from my earlier posts, my only expectation here is that I can establish a business which can make me a reasonable ‘living’ (relative to my current background of average industrial wage), allowing me to organise my own work as a self employed individual – which has always been a goal.
But most definitely no goldmine scenario here!

The software is allready available for free from the SEI website and with the DEAP reference document its straightforward enough.

@Spinal Tap wrote:

The software is allready available for free from the SEI website and with the DEAP reference document its straightforward enough.

I’d imagine your referring to the excel sheet which does provide the required calculations in order to carry out an audit. However, the SEI has commissioned the production of a specific piece of software which will be supplied to registered assessors in order to carry out site assessments and print certificates.

I think that the SEI will print the certs for registered assessors either way its another few hoops we’ll all have to jump through.

Went along to the SEI public information update last night. They didnt seem to have anything noteworthy to impart. Most of it was the same info as per their mid summer update.

@Spinal Tap: your right about the certs – they do intend to print the certs themselves.

I had anticipated a gathering of 50 people – instead there were 250. Their Dublin update meeting is oversubscribed and they will have to run an additional meeting. A show of hands in Galway demonstrated that the vast majority present were there with a view to becoming registered assessors. They said that their current mailing list indicated that they already had enough people interested to fulfill the national energy rating requirements (subject to these people going forward with training and registration of course).
So it would appear that this line of work will be a part time affair.:rolleyes:

I don’t think there will be loads of work going arounds for energy assessors. They will be alot of people trying to get a piece of the pie. Training is reletively short and not too expensive. They’re will be enough for people to do, but won’t be hard to find somebody, or won’t have to pay crazy prices either.

With PAs and developers looking for buildings with top ratings and beyond that again, I would imagine that low energy and passive design and designers will be more in demand.

or won’t have to pay crazy prices either.

What would your perception of an acceptable price be? The SEI intimated that €100 for a new house would be the norm but that the market will dictate. My opinion is that theres no way an assessor could afford to undertake a survey for this amount..

@energy_audit wrote:

What would your perception of an acceptable price be? The SEI intimated that €100 for a new house would be the norm but that the market will dictate. My opinion is that theres no way an assessor could afford to undertake a survey for this amount..

I was getting at the fact that the service will be readily available and we won’t have to pay what ever price they ask as there will always be a reasonable deal.
Why do you think that €100 is two little for a new house.

@Bren88 wrote:

I was getting at the fact that the service will be readily available and we won’t have to pay what ever price they ask as there will always be a reasonable deal.

Well, I wouldnt have any problem with this. I don’t think we should be contributing to the rip-off culture.

@energy_audit wrote:

What service providers who do ‘call out’ business charge this sum or less?

Define call out? Why would you need to call out, and what good would it be anyway.

There are circumstances where it would be acceptable to me – eg. where a deal is done with a developer to audit a number of houses at a discounted rate.

Are you suggesting that a scheme of say 24 houses is going to be 24 times the work?? Are you kidding. there will be very few changes from one to the other.

Furthermore, the British Housing Minister (interviewed on bbc a couple of months back) said that home owners could expect an energy audit to cost £300 (€370). Given that the irish auditing system is derived from the UK model (SAP), I think its reasonable to make comparisons.

That looks about right for an audit of an existing house thats coming on to the market. Its going to be alot more work involved. But thats a different issue.

@Bren88 wrote:

Why would you need to call out, and what good would it be anyway.

Ok, so your suggesting work off the plans. Fair enough – no problems with that. However, do you not feel that there should be a final physical inspection (and thats whats proposed if I understood it correctly) before having the cert issued. There are plenty of things that happen on sites and plenty of other things that should happen but don’t.
Lets take just one example…what if a boiler goes in other than the one originally planned? There are only a handful of items that can lead to an audit being way off the mark and this is one of them.

Anyways, lets not argue on the above seeing as its going to be a requirement to ‘call to site’ and effectively carry out a final audit.
@Bren88 wrote:

Are you suggesting that a scheme of say 24 houses is going to be 24 times the work?

I already covered this point when I said…. ‘There are circumstances where it would be acceptable to me – eg. where a deal is done with a developer to audit a number of houses at a discounted rate.’ And its not going to work out any other way in the case of large developments.

@Bren88 wrote:

that looks about right for an audit of an existing house thats coming on to the market. Its going to be alot more work involved. But thats a different issue.

Existing housing is a different issue. However, she was not referring exclusively to existing housing.

Building Energy Rating

As someone who worked an angle from a desk top position but exceded the initial instruction by visiting sites when the figures didn’t stack up I can say from experience that the printed rarely reflects what is the actual reality on the ground.