Energy performance certificate classifications across shifting frameworks

Large amounts of valuable data are being collected in the energy performance certificate (EPC) schemes. These data offer a huge potential, in terms of enabling researches to study energy demand in buildings and related ausalities. However, revisions of the national schemes and calculation methods necessitate a standardization of the results from the various schemes.
The primary focus of this research is on checking the consistency of converting labels with a given classification from an old scheme directly into that of a newer scheme. Furthermore, a general check is carried out, to review the consistency within each scheme, since the collected data are handled by several stakeholders which use different calculation tools.
In the study, several instances were found, where a simple conversion of a building’s energy label classification did not agree with the classification calculated anew, according to the present scheme. The number of inconsistent records was found to vary from scheme to scheme; most of the inconsistent classifications were found in the early schemes however. Fortunately, most information is stored at a disaggregated level, which means that classifications can easily be recalculated. In addition to the inconsistent EPC classifications, a number of corrupt records were observed, in which the energy frame did not seem to agree with the calculated energy demand for heating and electricity.