PLEASE NOTE Candidates must be registered on this programme before the 30 September, NFOPP will no longer accept Candidate Registrations after this date or offer this qualification.
Candidates should contact Elmhurst, details below, if interested in undertaking the qualification.
WHAT IS A DOMESTIC ENERGY ASSESSOR?
Since 14 December 2007 every home offered for sale, no matter what size, must have a Home Information pack which will be provided to prospective buyers. A mandatory part of this Home Information Pack is the Energy Performance Certificate (EPC), which provides information on the energy efficiency, heating costs and carbon emissions of the property. From 1st October 2008, all rental properties with a new tenancy in England and Wales will also be required to have an EPC. EPCs on rental properties will be valid for 10 years and provided to each new tenant within that period. EPCs are produced by accredited (licensed) Domestic Energy Assessors (DEA), and in order to join an accreditation scheme a candidate must first gain an approved qualification in Domestic Energy Assessment.
THE QUALIFICATION
The NFOPP Level 3 Award in Domestic Energy Assessment is a nationally recognised qualification awarded by the Examinations Board of the National Federation of Property Professionals. This qualification is recognised as one which allow the holder to apply for certification as a Domestic Energy Assessor.
The NFOPP Award in Domestic Energy Assessment is a Level 3 qualification within the National Qualifications Framework. This means it is broadly equivalent to A-Level standard. It is open to anyone to take, regardless of their past experience or age. You do not need any previous qualifications; just a good basic standard of English and numeracy. All parts of the examinations required to gain this qualification will be assessed in English.
The NFOPP Examinations Board is an independent Awarding Body, recognised by the Office of the Qualifications and Examinations Regulator (Ofqual). This means that we have to follow strict guidelines and maintain quality standards in the provision of all our qualifications
The qualification syllabus is divided into three Units:
| Unit 1 - | Legislation and Practice relating to the Provision of the Energy Performance Certificate |
| Unit 2 - | Factors affecting production of Energy Performance Certificates |
| Unit 3 - | Practical Assessment – Production of Energy Performance Certificates |
Units 1 and 2 are assessed by examination. There are 35 multiple choice questions per Unit and candidates have 40 minutes per Unit in which to answer them. The pass mark is 80%. Candidates must answer all of the five mandatory questions in Unit 1 correctly; candidates not achieving 100% on section 1A will be deemed to have failed Unit 1 regardless of their mark on section 1B and will be required to resit all of Unit 1 again.
Units can be taken separately or both at once.
Unit 3 involves the production of five Energy Performance Certificates with supporting site notes and photographs/sketches where appropriate. Two of these EPCs will be produced from information allocated to you. The remaining three must be carried out on actual domestic properties of your own choice, but those selected must include a flat/apartment and two houses of differing age and style. Instructions on the EPCs and supporting information which must be submitted will be provided once you are ready to start Unit 3. Assessment and marking of the EPCs will be carried out by Elmhurst Energy Systems Ltd under the direction and verification of the NFOPP Examinations Board.
All three Units must be completed and passed within six months of the date of initial registration with the NFOPP; you are therefore advised to enrol for training before registering for the qualification.
TRAINING FOR THE QUALIFICATION
There are a number of organisations providing training leading to this qualification, through either classroom or distance learning or a mixture of both. Details of one organisation who offers the NFOPP Award is given below. If you are already experienced in the production of EPCs then you may require less training and you should take advice from training organisations
TRAINING SCHEME
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Elmhurst Energy Services Unit 16, St Johns Business Park Lutterworth Leicestershire LE17 4HB Tel: 08700 850 490 Fax: 08700 850 491 |
This really depends on your commitments, how you undertake the necessary study and training, and if you have previous knowledge and/or experience in energy assessment or building construction. However, you should be able to complete the study and qualification within 6-8 weeks depending on the availability of training and examination sittings. You have 6 months from the date of registration with the NFOPP to complete the whole qualification, including any resits you may need to take. If you do not pass all three Units within this time, you will have to begin again and cover all associated costs.
You do not have to be employed within these areas or have any previous experience in order to start your study or take the qualification.
As a general guide, we estimate that those who are new to the profession will require approximately 200 hours of study/training/background reading. Those with experience may well require substantially less.
WHAT IF I AM ALREADY EXPERIENCED IN ENERGY ASSESSMENTS OR BUILDING CONSTRUCTION?
In the first instance you should contact a training provider to discuss your training needs. Those who have already undertaken study, have experience in or are recently accredited to RdSAP 2005 standards may require little or no training, and may also be able to use recent EPCs as part of the submission for Unit 3.
There are no exemptions from the NFOPP examinations or assessment of EPCs.
HOW DO I TAKE THE EXAMINATIONS?
The examinations for Units 1 and 2 must be taken via e-assessment at one of our test centres. Each exam consists of 35 multiple choice which you will have 40 minutes to answer.
When you have completed your studies and are ready to sit the examinations you can book them using our on-line booking system. Exams can be booked a minimum of 7 days in advance and a maximum of 60 days. Examination fees are payable via debit or credit card when you book your test sitting. We regret that cheque payments cannot be accepted.
The on-line booking system gives candidates the choice of the date and location of their examination. There are approximately 50 participating test centres throughout the UK which offer examinations regularly during working hours. The list of test centres can be found at the bottom of the page.
You must enroll with Elmhurst Energy Systems Ltd for assessment of Unit 3, their contact details are given above.
The provisional results from each Unit sat via e-assessment will be given to candidates immediately after they have completed all the Units they are sitting. These results will be confirmed in writing by the NFOPP Qualifications Team. If you have passed you will receive a certificate confirming your success within four weeks. The results for Units 1 and 2 will show the mark achieved and for Unit 3 will simply state Pass/ Fail. If you fail either or both Unit 1 or 2 you may retake as soon as you wish.
If you have failed Unit 3 you are required to submit five new EPCs following the guidelines above.
This will vary depending on where you access your training and how much training you need. Training providers will be able to advise on their costs; contact details of training providers are given above.
Examination fees will be payable to the NFOPP. Registration and certification fees, which must be paid before you sit any Units of the qualification, are £340. You will then need to pay examination fees to sit Units 1 and 2 when you enrol on-line for these – if you sit both Units together the cost will be £110; and £75 to sit one Unit only. These fees also apply to any re-sits needed. Registration, certification and examination fees are non-refundable.
Replacement full certificates can be issued at a cost of £55.
Further information on Home Information Packs, the Energy Performance Certificate and certification schemes can be found at:
http://www.communities.gov.uk
Helpline: 0207 944 4400
http://www.homeinformationpacks.gov.uk/
After gaining the qualification you must join an accreditation scheme in order to become a certificated, accredited DEA. There are various mandatory requirements for certification and you may wish to contact the various schemes for further information about these requirements and the associated costs:
Sava scheme http://www.sava-cs.org.uk/
BRE scheme http://www.bre.co.uk/service.jsp id=941
ECMK Ltd http://www.ecmk.co.uk
Elmhurst scheme http://www.elmhurstenergy.co.uk/article/nid/443
Northgate http://www.northgate-ispublicservices.com/solutions.php pageId=156
Quidos http://www.quidos.co.uk
Home Inspector Certification Ltd http://www.hicertification.co.uk
RICS http://www.rics.org/Careerseducationandtraining/RICSaccreditationandcertificationschemes/
Before undertaking the Level 3 Award in Domestic Energy Assessment please familiarise yourself with the examination regulations and the syllabus. Once you have done so please contact one of the three training providers for details on the dates and locations for training and to enrol.
If you wish to progress your studies you may wish to consider moving on to the Diploma in Home Inspection or to a foundation degree or HND in a relevant discipline such as building construction or surveying.
Candidates with disabilities are encouraged to read the NFOPP Disability Policy and to contact the qualifications section at the NFOPP to discuss what adjustments might be made to enable them to take the qualification. The Disability Policy can be found on the NFOPP website.
| E-Assessment Exam Locations | 132kb |  |
|---|---|---|
| Examination Regulations | 115kb | |
| Example Examination Questions | 457kb | |
| Guidance for Candidates | 141kb | |
| Registration Form | 52kb | |
| Suggested Reading List | 165kb | |
| Syllabus | 152kb | |
| Unit 3 Marking Procedure | 128kb | |
