Upgrading Retail Warehouse EPC Ratings Through Strategic Non-Domestic Auditing
2026
HollenPlus was appointed to deliver a strategic energy assessment for a UK retail warehouse facing an upcoming lease renewal. The core objective was securing robust MEES compliance for this retail warehouse asset, by establishing an accurate Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) that reflected the building’s true physical and operational efficiency.
The Issue: Unnecessary Rating Downgrades from a Volume EPC Provider
High-volume, low-cost EPC providers routinely penalise commercial properties due to strict site-time limits. When physical proof or documentation is absent, assessors rely on standard fallback parameters within SBEM software. These defaults cause significant damage to the EPC rating.
This reliance on software defaults leads to artificially suppressed EPC ratings, often dragging viable assets down into 'E', 'F', or 'G' bands and triggering artificial non-compliance risks.
Our Approach: Detailed Asset Data Verification & HVAC Evidence
We eliminated these errors through thorough non-domestic EPC auditing. Our team conducted a precise forensic assessment to replace software defaults with verified on-site data:
HVAC Evidence Gathering: Inspected plant equipment, sourced manufacturer spec sheets, and gathered maintenance logs to replace low default seasonal efficiency figures (SCOP/SEER) with actual performance metrics.
Lighting Verification: Catalogued specific LED part numbers, and sensor configurations.
Fabric Performance Analysis: Cross-referenced O&M manuals and structural drawings to replace generic age assumptions with calculated thermal U-values.
Commercial Impact: EPC Rating Improvement & Asset Protection
By replacing software defaults with audited physical data, HollenPlus delivered a significant retail unit EPC upgrade through precise modelling:
Zero Unnecessary Capex: Achieved target compliance without requiring expensive plant or fabric replacement.
Asset Protection: Secured a long-term retail park EPC improvement, protecting market value and liquidity.
Regulatory Compliance: Delivered a defensible, fully audited EPC file aligned with all MEES regulatory thresholds.
