Energy Performance Certificate

Quidos review reverse auction EPCs

Have you seen the latest news from Quidos?

Quoted from Quidos email

Quidos review reverse auction EPCs

Quidos Accreditation has always strived to maintain the highest quality standards within the energy assessment industry, however recently it has become apparent that quality is being compromised by cost with the launch of "Reverse Auction" panels.

Quality should not be compromised by cost!

Now everyone can do an EPC thanks to new phone app

As seen on Estate Agent on Friday 27th August 2010

In what sounds like bad news for the already beleaguered energy assessor industry, a new phone app is being launched which will give everyone the ability to audit and generate an EPC certificate A to G rating on any home.

A London firm called Qreative Medias is behind the application ‘Home Energy Performance’ which is available on the iPhone and iPad in the Apple Stores.

It is thought users will be home owners, buyers, estate agents, letting agents and builders.

The app not only delivers an energy rating but also recommendations and advice, with a pdf report.

Connells buy national EA firm

As seen on Estate Agent Today

Connells have bought a very large energy assessor firm, Vibrant Energy Matters.

The deal, which was not publicly announced, completed towards the end of July for an undisclosed sum.

Vibrant Energy Matters was formed last November after the merger of Green Energy Matters and Vibrant Energy.

Clients are in both the residential and commercial sectors, and include estate agents, letting agents, landlords, and local authorities.

The merger positioned the company as the largest independent provider of EPC Certificates and related energy services, with over 100 staff and the capacity to complete over 100,000 Energy Performance Certificates a year.

Contemlating taking CEA training?

Contemlating taking CEA training?

I am thinking about taking CEA training, what kind of fees are there, how many CEA's are out squabling for work or is still a case of only the training companies making any money?

Like to some thoughts


Neil

AHHIP backs down over legal challenge

After a lot of sabre rattling The Association of Home Information Pack Providers(AHHIP) has bowed to the inevitable and decided not to mount a legal challenge to the suspension of HIPs after Government lawyers responded to AHIPP’s lawyers in respect of the grounds for a legal challenge and robustly rejected them. There’s a turnup, I bet AHHIP weren’t expecting that!

Administration for HIP Providers?

Rumours are sweeping the industry that many HIP providers may go into administration to help them mitigate the financial aftermath of the suspension – which has left them with bills to pay search and EPC providers, and to pay estate agents referral fees.

DCHI Response to Daily Mail article

The following has been sent to the Daily Mail in response to the highly misleading article published on Friday. (DCHI is a South West based association representing Energy Assessors and Home Inspectors)

 Dear Ms Barrow

I am forced to respond to your misleading article on HIPs in yesterday’s Mail.

It is a shame that a paper such as the Daily Mail chooses to consistently misrepresent the position over HIPs. If there is any journalistic desire to inform the public of the truth, I would encourage you to publish a more balanced article or even publish the following explanation so your readers will not be duped by a series of claims by individuals with an axe to grind.

They Think its all Over... it is Now

Well, Grant Schapps kept his promise and yesterday suspended Home Information Packs.  Whilst the industry went into frenzy the news barely caused a ripple with the general public and only managed a mention in the main news programmes.  And I guess that just about sums up what people in general thought about them,; not a lot. 

So its the first day of a post HIP world, a world which has a whole new set of challenges facing the plucky DEA.  But first of all let’s spare a thought for those thousands of people who lost their livelihoods yesterday.  Whether you loved them or loathed them HIPS kept a lot of people in work during one of the hardest recessions in a generation. 

The End of HIPs

It was announced today by the new Housing Minister Grant Shapps that Home Information Packs (HIPs) are to be suspended with immediate effect for anyone selling their home from 21 May 2010. There has been alot of speculation as to whether they would continue and so this should not come as any great shock.

HIPs were first introduced in 2007 through the Home Information Pack (HIP) Legislation with the aim of speeding up the house selling process by requiring sellers to provide upfront much of the obligatory conveyancing information when properties are first put up for sale. HIPs are paid for by the sellers and contain title deeds and local searches. Energy Performance Certificates (EPCs) were also required as part of the HIP legislation. EPCs rank the energy efficiency of a property using A-G ratings.

H.I.P… R.I.P.

HIPs (Home Information Packs) have now been with us a while and there is still speculation as to whether they will continue in their current form, a revised form or even at all. Whilst they have some support, admittedly mainly from those organisations who actually make a living from providing them, it has to be said that HIPS remain universally disliked by vendors, buyers, agents, solicitors and virtually everyone else involved in the property industry. And it is this lack of support which will ultimately lead to th