The defined Authority's Requirements in each contract will set out the specification and standards including as to energy efficiency that the facility is to meet, typically in the form of an energy target. In addition, later PPP contracts and the NPD/hub contract provides for an energy model to be developed and for thermal and energy efficiency testing to be undertaken prior to handover to the operational phase. The primary aim of this testing is to establish if the energy efficiency ambitions of a buildings design has been successfully delivered and determine the baseline for operational energy consumption going forward.
Authorities should therefore check their Project Agreements at the outset to identify and consider the standards and specification in the Authority's Requirements in relation to energy efficiency, the continuing impact of those provisions in the context of their respective projects and the results of the testing that took place prior to handover, including the specific testing arrangements in NPD/hub Contracts.