EPLabel

Public Sites Page

The sites listing shows all the sites that have been published by their authors to allow public viewing of the site. A site record shown on the public sites page shows information for a particular site year, a year of energy records. If subsequent years are published for the same site these will show up as separate records on the sites listing page.

Energy Labelling

Energy labels are a prerequisite for a low carbon economy... With nearly half of all Europe's CO2 emissions arising from buildings, the EPBD aims to raise the issue of building energy efficiency with everyone involved in the construction, alteration, sale or rental of property and with anyone visiting a public building. It will do this by requiring a building energy performance certificate to be made available on the sale or let of buildings and displayed prominently in larger public buildings.

Labelling offers a fantastic opportunity to make building energy and CO2 performance visible. Although initially for information only, raising awareness and disclosure is only the start. Given our addiction to high carbon lifestyles stoked by our growth-dependent economy, altruism is unlikely to be enough to initiate sufficient actions to reduce emissions by the 60 percent from current levels by 2050 target IPCC scientists say is necessary to stabilise CO2 levels in the atmosphere (let alone by the 85 percent necessary if the Contraction and Convergence plan is adopted).

The Stern Report hopes for a new age of low carbon energy supplies and ultra efficient end use, implying hardly a murmur on the global economy as we undergo the transition. Other commentators forecast a need for draconian carbon rations. At the very least, unless energy prices rise dramatically, it is likely that labelling buildings will be followed up by some tangible reward for better performance, such as reduced rates of Property Tax. Energy labels could provide the drivers or even the tipping point for a radical improvement of the energy efficiency of existing and new buildings; and help to transform markets as has already been demonstrated for some household electrical appliances.

View the public Sites listings here