All dealers will be required to have an energy performance certificate (EPC) on any new-build or restructure by October 1.

The regulations, reported by AM in December, have partially come into place.

Buildings with a used floor area of 107,650 sq ft have had to get an EPC since April 1.

Buildings with 26,910 sq ft floor space will have to adhere to the regulations from July 1.

All new buildings will come under the regulations on October 1.

Rapleys, the property consultancy, is advising dealers to access their portfolios for any buildings that are already on the market to find out if they require an EPC.

The Government has given an extended period of grace to buildings planned in the lead-up to the July 1 deadline. These contracts will now have to be ready for October 1.

Dealers that do not have an EPC after the deadline can incur a penalty of 12.5% of the rateable value of the property, with a minimum penalty of £500 and a maximum of £5,000.

The EPC can only be prepared by energy assessors, said to be in “extremely limited” numbers. Mark Coles, partner at Rapleys, said: “The training scheme for assessors was only approved by the Government in January so there’s currently a backlog of requests for EPCs while more assessors are being trained.”

During the initial period while there is a shortage of energy assessors, dealers that ask for an EPC 14 days before it is required will be given additional time until the assessment can be completed.

In order to prepare for an EPC dealers need to collect detailed floor plans, a description of the use of the building, details of the main fabric of the building, the building’s thermal performance, full details on ventilation and heating and details on lighting.

Coles said: “Costs for an EPC can vary dramatically depending on the size and complexity of a building, so it can cost from hundreds to thousands of pounds.”

The purpose of the EPC is to provide potential buyers with information about the energy performance of a building so they can consider the efficiency as part of the decision-making process on whether to buy or not.

EPCs use a grading system similar to the one introduced on all new cars and in the white goods industry.