Preparing for an Audit

Preparation makes an audit better, because auditors can only diagnose what they can see, test and document. A household that gathers bills, certificates, plans and work records, clears access to lofts, boilers and meters, and writes down comfort problems room by room gives the auditor a head start that no instrument can replace. A household that leaves the auditor to discover everything unaided will receive a thinner report, however skilled the auditor.

Preparation is not about tidying for inspection or hiding problems. It is about making problems visible and evidence available: a damp patch left visible, a cold room named, a loft hatch cleared, a boiler manual found. Auditors are not judges; they are diagnosticians, and diagnosis improves with better information.

Document preparation comes first. Gather a year of gas and electricity bills, or meter readings, previous EPCs, any earlier audit or survey, plans or drawings, and records of extensions, window replacements, boiler work and insulation, with dates. Note fuel bought in bulk, such as oil or wood, with delivery records. That paper trail lets the auditor separate building performance from tariff and occupancy effects.

Household preparation comes second. Brief everyone who lives in the home about the visit: when it happens, which rooms and spaces will be entered, and whether heating should be on or off for testing. Note heating settings, typical heating hours, rooms used and rooms closed off, and any health or access considerations the auditor should know. A household that understands the visit cooperates better and gives more useful answers.

Clear access before the day: loft hatch, boiler, hot water cylinder, meter, fuse board, and any underfloor or roof spaces the auditor needs to inspect. Remove stored boxes from the loft hatch area, clear boiler cupboards, and ensure keys are available for outbuildings or communal areas in flats. Blocked access forces assumptions, and assumptions weaken a report.

Write a problem list, room by room, with specifics: which room is cold, when, under what weather, and what has already been tried. Note draught locations, condensation patterns, mould spots, noisy or uneven radiators, and controls that confuse occupants. Specific problems can be tested; vague complaints can only be noted, and testing is where audit value lies.

In the UK, audit preparation should include checking whether the audit is linked to a retrofit scheme or grant, because scheme audits may require specific documents, photographs or consent forms. England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland run different schemes, so preparation should follow the scheme's checklist where one applies, rather than a generic list.

In EU member states, audit preparation may include national forms, energy bills in national formats, or building documentation required by a renovation passport scheme. A householder abroad should ask the auditor, before the visit, what documents and access the national scheme requires, and prepare those specifically, rather than assuming UK preparation covers it.

One preparation mistake is tidying away evidence. Covering a damp patch with furniture, painting over mould before the visit, or boarding over loft insulation hides the very problems an audit should diagnose. Leave problems visible, photograph them beforehand for your own record, and let the auditor see them in place.

Another mistake is failing to brief the auditor about changes. An extension built without paperwork, a room converted from a garage, or a heating system altered by a previous owner can all mislead an audit if undisclosed. Tell the auditor what you know and what you do not know, and mark guesses as guesses, so the report distinguishes evidence from assumption.

Keep your preparation pack: bills, certificates, plans, work records and problem list, with the audit report that follows. That combined file is the home's energy history, useful for installers, future auditors and future owners, and it prevents the same preparation being repeated from scratch at the next visit.

Ask the auditor before the visit what access, documents and heating state they need, and whether any test, such as a blower door test, requires windows closed and heating off for a period. Ask after the visit what further information, if any, would strengthen the report. Those questions ensure preparation matches the audit actually planned.