Commercial Circular Economy Statements
HollenPlus delivers statutory Commercial Circular Economy Statements for institutional asset managers, property funds, and commercial developers across England. We streamline planning approvals, including London Plan Policy SI 7 mandates, by translating complex resource-efficiency requirements into actionable, value-adding strategies.
By pairing early-stage pre-demolition audits with material lifecycle modelling, HollenPlus ensures major developments and deep retrofits achieve rapid planning consent while reducing embodied carbon, protecting Capex and enhancing long-term commercial portfolio value.
Statutory Circular Economy Statements for Commercial Portfolios & Planning
HollenPlus delivers statutory Circular Economy Statements designed to align complex planning mandates with long-term commercial real estate performance. As local planning authorities enforce increasingly strict sustainability metrics under the London Plan Policy SI 7, securing planning consent requires a transparent, auditable resource efficiency strategy. We work alongside institutional asset managers, property funs, and commercial developers to de-risk major planning applications and deep retrofits. By embedding circular economy principles from the outset, we eliminate planning delays while optimising material lifecycles, reducing embodied carbon and protecting long-term commercial yield across your asset portfolio.
Prioritise Assets and Plan Capital Expenditure
At HollenPlus, we rank and prioritise your commercial assets using a multi-variable MEES risk matrix to align EPC compliance directly with your commercial asset management plans. This approach protects net operating income and creates a phased, cost-effective investment roadmap:
High-Risk Assets (F & G Rated): Rapid intervention using Level 4/5 thermal modelling to unlock no-cost rating gains, target low-disruption upgrades, or register statutory MEES exemptions.
Lease Events & Vacancies: Aligning necessary energy efficiency retrofits with lease renewals, re-gears, and break options to protect rental growth and avoid tenant disruption.
PPM & Refurbishment Cycles: Embedding HVAC upgrades, LED lighting, and heat pump installations into scheduled planned preventative maintenance (PPM) to prevent duplicate Capex.
Short Hold & Disposals: Delivering a clear "Pathway to Compliance" for assets facing sale within 12–24 months to satisfy buyer due diligence, prevent price chipping, and protect exit yields.
Asset Specific EPC Improvement Plans and Pathways to EPC B
To achieve an EPC B rating on commercial properties, particularly for assets over 1,000 sq m targeting 2031 MEES requirements, improvement plans must move beyond simple bulb replacements. Reaching a Band B score requires a coordinated strategy combining high-efficiency mechanical plant, smart controls, fabric upgrades, and clean energy generation.
A breakdown of the primary EPC improvement measures:
High-Impact Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning ( HVAC)
Replacing end-of-life gas boilers to high-efficiency Air Source Heat Pumps.
Intelligent Building Management Systems (BMS) and Controls ➔BMS Optimisation and Sensor Upgrades, Sub-Metering and Automated Meter Reading.
High- Efficiency Lighting & Controls ➔ Complete LED overhaul, Smart Daylight and Occupancy Controls
Renewable Energy Generation ➔ Rooftop Solar PV Arrays and Battery Energy Storage Systems ( BESS).
Fabric and Building Envelope Enhancements ➔ Glazing and Solar Film Control, Roof and Ceiling Insulation, Air Permeability / Infiltration Reduction.
For example, a multi-let office rated at a Band D/E could move to a Band B by implementing high-efficiency LEDs, upgrade to a VRF Heat Pump, add in BMS optimisation with CO₂ - based demand-controlled ventilation and Solar PV on the roof.
Coordinated Portfolio Assessment and Delivery
Rolling out MEES compliance across a commercial portfolio requires tight logistical execution and seamless occupier management. HollenPlus acts as your single point of delivery, managing tenant access, data gathering, technical engineering reviews and official lodgements under one coordinated workflow.
Dedicated Single Point of Contact
Tenant Access and Operations Management ➔ Arrange non-intrusive site visits, providing formal advance notice to ensure zero disruption to sitting tenants.
Data Gathering and Default Stripping ➔ Collect HVAS specifications, lighting records, and unrecorded tenant fit-out upgrades to eliminate conservative software defaults before modelling begins
Level 4/5 DSBEM Modelling and Quality Assurance ➔ We can test low Capex scenarios against your asset management objectives prior to certification
Official Lodgement and Delivery ➔ Finalised certificates are formally lodged on the official EPC register.
Why Choose HollenPlus for Portfolio MEES Strategy?
Most EPC assessors operate purely as technical inspectors, delivering static certificates without understanding lease structures, capital growth targets, or fund cash flows. At HollenPlus, we bridge the gap between technical decarbonisation and commercial asset management. Led by chartered surveyors, we evaluate MEES compliance through the eyes of an institutional landlord, aligning energy strategies directly with your asset business plans to protect rental income, preserve capital value, and maximise returns.
>95% Success Rate Without Unnecessary Capex: In over 95% of our pathway projects, our technical modelling precision and level 4/5 software expertise improve EPC rating bands purely by correcting historical assessor oversights and stripping out conservative default assumptions by removing physical upgrade costs entirely from cash flows.
Commercial Lifecycle Alignment: We synchronise MEES compliance with natural building lifecycles, planned preventative maintenance (PPM), and critical lease events (re-gears, break clauses, and vacancies). This eliminates stranded asset risks and ensures capital is deployed only when it makes commercial sense.
Institutional Risk Protection: From multi-asset portfolio risk profiling to statutory exemption management, we deliver bankable, fully audited compliance roadmaps that satisfy fund auditors, debt providers, and prospective buyers.
Discuss Your Portfolio MEES Strategy
Ready to De-Risk Your Portfolio and Optimise Capex?
Navigating MEES compliance across commercial holdings requires a tailored approach aligned with your specific fund mandates and asset lifecycles. Whether you oversee a national industrial portfolio, multi-let office buildings, or a mixed-use commercial fund, we are ready to help you establish a clear, commercially focused route forward.
Share your asset schedule, current EPC data, and investment objectives with our team. We will review your portfolio’s risk profile and scope a customised MEES strategy program designed to protect rental income, satisfy lender covenants, and preserve asset value.
Step 1: Share Your Data – Send over your asset schedule, existing EPC ratings, and key lease expiry/break dates.
Step 2: Initial Portfolio Review – We analyse your baseline coverage, flag immediate risk areas, and pinpoint immediate quick-win opportunities.
Step 3: Scoped Action Plan – We present a phased, fully costed strategy proposal tailored to your asset business plans and holding periods.
FAQs
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The UK government interim response has scrapped the proposed 2027 EPC C interim target. Instead, all rented non-domestic properties over 1,000 square metres must move directly to a mandatory EPC B by 2031, provided the upgrades meet the statutory seven-year payback test.
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By applying technical precision to software inputs, correcting historical assessor oversights, and identifying low-cost/no-cost operational tweaks, we often move assets into higher EPC bands without requiring physical building works. Where upgrades are mandatory, we prioritise the lowest-cost, least-disruptive interventions that preserve cash flow and protect bottom-line returns
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Yes. Most commercial leases contain clauses prohibiting tenants from making alterations that negatively impact the building’s baseline EPC rating. HollenPlus acts as an expert intermediary between landlords and occupiers. We review tenant fit-out proposals, mechanical specs, and alterations to ensure design compliance, preventing unauthorised works from degrading your asset's MEES standing
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Standalone EPC upgrades are often inefficient. HollenPlus integrates MEES strategy directly into your wider asset refurbishment plans, capital works programs, and net-zero carbon strategies. By combining building envelope retrofits, heat pump installations, smart controls, and BREEAM assessments under one unified advice framework, we ensure every pound spent delivers maximum carbon reduction and yield protection.
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In addition to reputational harm from being named on public non-compliance registers, financial penalties enforced by local authority Trading Standards are substantial. Fines can reach up to 20% of a commercial property's rateable value, capped at £150,000 per asset for prolonged breaches. HollenPlus eliminates this liability by establishing an auditable, fully documented compliance pathway across your portfolio.
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A basic EPC assessment merely provides a snapshot rating based on conservative default assumptions, which often unfairly penalises a building’s score. The HollenPlus EPC Pathway is a strategic alternative designed specifically for commercial real estate asset managers.
We combine technical modelling with asset management expertise to identify marginal gains, optimising your current rating without immediate Capex where possible, or providing a costed, phased timeline aligned to your building’s natural lifecycle and planned maintenance (PPM).
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Uncertainty over EPC ratings and future upgrade costs can lead to price chip discounts or deal friction. During acquisitions, HollenPlus conducts technical MEES due diligence to give buyers clarity on true current ratings and precise capital expenditure requirements. On the sell side, undertaking an EPC renewal pathway before bringing an asset to market boosts the property’s rating, shortening void periods and maximising realised exit yields.
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Where physical or technical constraints make achieving compliance unviable, HollenPlus provides expert Exemption Management. We evaluate whether an asset qualifies for formal exemption routes, such as the 7-Year Payback Test, Devaluation Exemption, or Lack of Third-Party/Tenant Consent, and compile the robust, legally defensible evidence packages required for registration on the central government PRS Exemptions Register.
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Our process begins with Portfolio Risk Profiling:
Initial Audit: We analyse existing EPC data, recommendation reports, and lease expiry profiles across all units to identify immediate and medium-term risk exposure.
Initial Audit: We analyze existing EPC data, recommendation reports, and lease expiry profiles across all units to identify immediate and medium-term risk exposure.
Phased Action Plan: We deliver a fully costed, lifecycle-aligned strategy mapped to your asset management goals, lease events, and PPM schedules.
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If a property is vacant and not actively marketed or let, a MEES breach does not immediately trigger. However, before a new tenant signs or an existing lease is renewed, the asset must achieve at least an EPC E rating or have a valid exemption logged. Vacancy windows present the most cost-effective opportunity to carry out major decarbonisation works (e.g., mechanical plant upgrades or envelope improvements) with zero tenant disruption.
Speak with a member of the HollenPlus team to discuss your portfolio requirements and request a tailored strategy proposal.
