EPC Level 4 & Level 5 - SBEM & DSM

[bootsam]

You lot have my sympathy. Ive sat untold classes just to get compliant at whatever. The only winner is CIBSE.

Hevacomp lvl 3/4 & IES lvl 3,4&5. I had to sit a level 3/4 for both IES and Hevacomp seperately. What difference does it make what tool you use if the sbem calc is the same in all????

Dont get me started on that APEL form. Grrrrr. They know more about me now than the bloody taxman. Whilst I do not mind so much CIBSE having my data, I am damned if I am going to allow a tin pot organisation like Elmhurst for instance have it.

[Complex Potential]

Where it really stings is that at the same time they've made the decision that while I'm a fully accredited level 5 DSM assessor and have also passed the IES SBEM exam, I'm not apparently accredited to do IES SBEM calculations so they will not let me submit EPC's based upon the SBEM output.

This is a little worrying for me because I was hoping to become accredited level 5 under Tas as well as IES and I had naturally assumed that, since the rest of the APEL is exactly the same for IES and Tas, I would only need to submit the Tas software competency certificate as an addendum to my file. However, I now have a horrible suspicion that they will say I need to submit the entire APEL back through again...

[ecoboost]

while I'm a fully accredited level 5 DSM assessor and have also passed the IES SBEM exam, I'm not apparently accredited to do IES SBEM calculations so they will not let me submit EPC's based upon the SBEM output.

I'm puzzled by this, you've passed the IES exam but are apparently not accredited to lodge EPC's produced using IES VE SBEM? Did they explain why?

[Complex Potential]

I'm puzzled by this, you've passed the IES exam but are apparently not accredited to lodge EPC's produced using IES VE SBEM? Did they explain why?

It's incredibly frustrating. As well as needing the IES SBEM test certificate, you also have to go back through the Level 3/4 CIBSE APEL application and pay another fee, even though it's almost identical to the Level 5 version.

Then, to rub salt into the wound, you are not even allowed to copy and paste your NOS statements from your Level 5 application into the Level 3/4 one even though they ask exactly the same questions! Instead you are required to re-write the thousands of words you've already written to say the same thing in a different way.

Of course, I don't actually need official Level 3/4 accreditation because I am fully qualified to carry out assessments on Level 3/4 complexity buildings using DSM which means I can avoid paying CIBSE more money, right? Not quite.... all assessments carried out via DSM are classified as Level 5 (regardless of the building complexity) which automatically increases the EPC lodgement fee from £30 to £250 on every bloody project even though they only audit 1 per year for DSM.

So, it appears CIBSE have carefully constructed the rules to ensure they extract maximum money from us. To quote Blackadder: I sometimes feel like a pelican - whichever way I turn, I've still got an enormous bill in front of me.

[JohnLloyd]

Interestingly, it seems CIBSE never did actually increase their Level 5 lodgement fee and it still stands at approximately £35. There is an annual £300 fee, but providing you're lodging more than only one or two EPC's a year it still works out cheaper than STROMA, who now charge approximately £235 for a Level 5.

I've just spoken with STROMA to confirm this and strangely they were unaware that CIBSE were still only charging £35.

[JohnLloyd]

You can, but when it comes to lodging the EPC if it was calculated using DSM then it will be rejected if you haven't put that setting to Level 5.