Businesses working in the domestic and commercial heating, ventilating, air conditioning and refrigeration sectors are now able to self-certify their work online through BESCA, Building Engineering Services Competence Accreditation Ltd.
Authorised by the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister, BESCA is the only competency scheme able to certify that commercial HVACR work complies with the new Building Regulations in England and Wales.
The system eradicates the need to involve Local Authority Building Control departments and will help save time and money on local authority inspections and fees. Instead, qualified ‘accredited certifiers’ will be able to self-certify that work complies with Building Regulations quickly and simply online.
The new BESCA website at www.besca.org.uk also enables businesses to register details of jobs, print controlled compliance certificates for clients/customers, and call up records of old jobs. Alongside users’ own areas within the site, there is a useful downloads section featuring registration forms, rules, regulations and guidance notes.
Although there will be phased implementation for new works, with targets governed by the planning application dates, it is likely that all maintenance and replacement work affecting energy performance must be notified from 6 April onwards.