Domestic Energy Assessor (DEA) Training

Diploma in Domestic Energy Assessment (DipDEA): Training and Qualifying

To become a Domestic Energy Assessor (DEA) you must attain a Level 3 Diploma in Domestic Energy Assessment (DipDEA) before you can, well, practise as a DEA. This minimum qualification equips you with the required technical knowledge, as set-out in the National Occupational Standards (NOS), which embodies Articles 7 to 9 of the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD).

The DipDEA can be awarded by any one of the following 3 awarding bodies:

1. Awarding Body for the Built Environment (ABBE) Website
2. City and Guilds (C & G) Website
3. National Association of Estate Agents (NAEA) Website

Each awarding body have their own training schemes, which in turn are taught by training providers approved to teach them - in other words, make sure the training provider you choose is approved by one of the above awarding bodies.

DipDEA Course Modules/Units - General Overview

There are five course Units to complete satisfactorily. The first two Units also appear in the Level 4 Diploma of Home Inspection (DipHI), so you can skip these if you already have (and can prove) them.

As a general overview (in no particular order): you'll need to demonstrate you can actually communicate and generally rub-along with people from all stratas of society; whether trailer-trash or royalty - and that goes for handling formal complaints too!

You'll also learn exciting new topics for dinner-table discussion, like: the Housing Act 2004; EU legislation; Health and Safety at Work; your part in complying with these, plus the obligations you must adhere to under the terms of your accreditation agreement.

You'll need to become familiar with the Reduced Data Standard Assessment Procedure (RdSAP) - the engine of the EPC. This includes identifying situations where RdSAP cannot be applied.

Supply five Energy Performance Certificates

A key part of your Energy Performance Certificate training involves supplying five EPCs on real properties of varying construction, age and size. These include...

Homes built:

• before first world war;
• between first and second world wars;
• post second world war through to newly-constructed homes built according to various building regulations.

Property types:

• detached
• semi-detached
• terrace
• enclosed mid-terrace (back-to-back)
• flat

You will also need to become acquainted with:

• Types of boilers - their controls and their efficiency.
• Wall construction - solid walls, cavity walls, timber frames.
• Roofs - including pitched roofs and flat roofs as well as insulation and coverings (roof tiles etc.).
• Windows - single and double glazed, as well as materials (wood, uPVC etc.)
• Utility services - electricity, gas, water. Encompassing use, consumption and storage etc.
• Central Heating - types of central heating and their controls.

Further details for each module can be found in the modules section.

DEA Accreditation

Once (if) you pass the exam, you must then register with an accreditation scheme before being set loose on the public.

Licensed accreditation scheme operators

Organisation	Website	Telephone
BRE	BRE	01923 664 829
Elmhurst	Elmhurst	01455 883 253
NES	NHER	0870 837 6500
Northgate	Northgate	0117 906 4404
RICS	RICS	0870 333 1600
Quidos	Quidos	01225 448500
EPC Ltd (ECMK)	EPC-Solutions	0845 8123999
Home Inspector Certification	Home Inspector Certification	0800 0842074
Stroma	Stroma	0845 621 1111
Sterling Accreditation	Sterling	01483 400 560

To gain accreditation you must undergo a criminal background check with the Criminal Records Bureau.

Read: Cost comparison of DEA accreditation schemes.

The Current Property Market and DEA Demand

According to the latest figures on new household formations from the Department of Communities and Local Government (DCLG):

'... the number of households in England is projected to increase from 21.1 million in 2004 to 26.0 million in 2026 and to reach 26.5 million in 2029.'

The numbers of housing transactions conducted each year varies depending on what you read. The most common number I've come across is around 1.2 million completed house sales each year.

Update (15/03/08): That was before the current "credit crunch crisis" which developed in late 2007, and continues unabated today with tighter lending conditions and reduced housing market activity.

Are there enough Domestic Energy Assessors?

It was initially estimated that from June 2007 - the original launch date of HIPs - between 2,500 and 4,000 accredited Domestic Energy Assessors would be required to satisfy national demand for Energy Performance Certificates (EPC).

However, after May 22nd 2007 (when the launch of HIPs was delayed until August 1st 2007), the Government was forced to revise its estimate. The new numbers were set as benchmarks to trigger the staged roll-out of Home Information Packs across the housing market (now abolished).

The Government eventually required HIPs on all marketed homes having 4-bedrooms or more from August 1st 2007. It then set out the following trigger points for the rest of the market (based on sufficient numbers of accredited DEAs):

• 2000 DEAs - 3-bed plus
• 3000 DEAs - full HIP roll-out

In the end, the actual numbers of accredited DEAs far surpassed the above triggers: on 29th Nov 2007 the number of fully accredited DEAs was over 6,000 and yet, still, HIPs did not fully roll-out until 14th December 2007.

(You can follow the un-relenting growth of DEA numbers here.)

Even as of this update, it is rumoured there are in excess of 15,000 people in the system (in training, waiting to qualify, qualified, and fully accredited).

There are no figures available to indicate how many accredited DEAs are working full-time.

An Energy Performance Certificate can only be undertaken by either a fully accredited Home Inspector, or similarly accredited Domestic Energy Assessor.