FLOOR AREAS - part 2 (mezzanines and more)

It is not uncommon to find floor space above office and other ground floor spaces that is used for storage or even as additional work spaces. There are rules however about how these spaces are treated within the energy assessment and therefore how they may be included or excluded in the total floor area of the property.

1) Mezzanines and spaces which can be accessed via a fixed staircase. If a storage area located above other usable space is accessible by a fixed permanent stair case then the floor area of this additional space will be included in the usable floor area of the demise (and therefore is a part of the total floor area which appears within the body of the EPC Certificate).

2) If a mezzanine floor or a boarded area above an internal structure such as offices or a storeroom area, is not accessible via a fixed staircase but instead must be accessed using a ladder or perhaps a forklift truck (i.e., not a fixed means of access) then the floor area of the mezzanine or storage space will be excluded from the usable floor area of the demise (and therefore is not part of the total floor area which appears within the body of the EPC Certificate).

Note 1: The material of a mezzanine floor can also be a factor in determining how the floor space is treated. If the floor of a mezzanine area is of an open metal mesh (through which light and air can pass freely) then the floor may be ignored completely as it does not create an enclosed space below it which be conditioned separately from the space above. 

Note 2: The lighting fixed to the underside of a mezzanine floor will however be accounted for given the energy use and heating contribution that it will make to the demise.