One Law In, One Law Out - Well, Not Quite

The Coalition made much play of their desire to  'pare' laws and in so doing reducing costs to business and trumpeted the headline 'One In - One Out'.

Courtesy of IanPJ on twitter we are alerted to this website which reports that "The European Commission has modified the Energy Performance Building Directive (EPBD) that would require member nations to make it compulsory for energy efficiency ratings to be published in all homes for sale advertisements beginning in 2012." In actual fact this was notified in a press release by Brussels on 13th November 2008:

"With the proposed changes energy performance certificate becomes a real, active energy label of houses. For instance, the certificate has to be included in all advertisements for sales or renting. Also, the certificate with its energy saving recommendations has to be part of the sales and renting documents. Inspections of heating and air conditioning systems will advise consumers to use better these appliances or improve their operation, even replacing if need be. Member States have to ensure a good quality of the certificates and inspections."

(the content of which being something I don't recall the previous administration - or our 'watchful' media mentioning. Odd that we have to get our EU news from America, isn't it)

Now it seems we will be having another quango created to administer the system of inspections and also the compliance with this addition to the Energy Performance and Building Directive, together with the explosion of new rules and regulations that will result.