New certificates to make theatres monitor energy use

Published Thursday 12 June 2008 at 12:15 by Lalayn Baluch

Theatres Trust Conference: Theatres look set to be effected by new legislation coming into force in October, which will require all public buildings to display a certificate detailing their use of energy.

The Display Energy Certificates will be based on the actual energy use of a site over the preceding year. The figures will be taken from meter readings, and will be valid for 12 months.

Theatres which are 1,000m sq or larger could be required to display a DEC, and also undertake an evaluation of the building every seven years, which will then be used to create a report advising them of changes that need to be made in order to improve their efficiency.

The government are currently in discussion as to how theatres fall under the public building category. Speaking at the Theatres Trust’s Building Sustainable Theatres conference, David Richard, of global design and consulting firm ARUP, said: “Theatres may or may not fall under the public building category.

“The one thing you can be sure about is that they will in the future. Britain has been quite narrow in terms of their interpretation of what a public building is, and Europe are not particularly happy about this. So probably within two or three years we will be pressured to do what Europe really meant, which is any building where the public sets foot.”

Meanwhile, theatres will also need to provide an Energy Performance Certificate whenever the building is sold, leased or undergoing construction work.

Unlike the DEC, this performance certificate will not be based on actual energy use. Instead qualified assessors will compare venues to similar buildings, using tailor-made software, and give them a rating.

The EPCs will aim to give those responsible for the sites a clear picture of how efficient the building is, and how it can be improved.

Both certificates are the government’s way of implementing European legislation.