Project Overview

This strategic portfolio review involved a local authority estate comprising 101 commercial properties extending to approximately 60,000 square metres. The authority required a clear understanding of its existing compliance position against future Minimum Energy Efficiency Standards (MEES) targets, which at the time included an aspiration to achieve a minimum EPC Band B across the estate by 2030.

The project was designed to provide senior asset managers and decision-makers with a fully costed roadmap for future investment, enabling long-term budgeting and prioritisation of energy performance improvements across the portfolio.

The Challenge

Managing a large and diverse public sector property portfolio presents significant challenges when planning for future MEES compliance. Whilst individual Energy Performance Certificates provide a snapshot of current performance, they do not provide the detailed investment intelligence required to understand future liabilities, improvement opportunities and funding requirements.

The authority required a comprehensive assessment of all 101 assets to establish:

• Current EPC and MEES compliance status
• Future compliance risks
• Potential improvement measures
• Estimated capital investment requirements
• Energy and carbon reduction opportunities
• Timescales for implementation
• Potential exemption positions under MEES regulations

Our Approach

We undertook detailed Commercial EPC assessments and Asset Energy Reviews across the entire estate. Each property was surveyed and modelled individually using SBEM, allowing us to evaluate building performance, identify improvement opportunities and assess multiple compliance scenarios.

For every asset, we produced detailed Property Energy Intelligence reporting that included:

• Current EPC rating and energy performance profile
• Future compliance assessment
• Asset-specific improvement recommendations
• Capital cost estimates
• Discounted payback calculations
• Seven-year payback assessments
• Carbon reduction projections
• EPC improvement pathways
• Potential MEES exemption analysis
• Indicative implementation priorities

This approach enabled the authority to move beyond simple compliance reporting and develop a strategic understanding of future investment requirements across the entire estate.

The Outcome

The project delivered a fully costed estate-wide compliance strategy, providing the authority with a clear roadmap towards future MEES targets and improved energy performance.

By combining Commercial EPC assessments with detailed asset-level investment modelling, the authority gained the information required to plan future capital expenditure, prioritise improvement programmes and manage compliance risk across 101 commercial properties.

The resulting portfolio intelligence enabled informed decision-making, supported long-term budget planning and established a practical framework for achieving future energy performance objectives whilst maintaining effective stewardship of public assets.