QA Hub User Guide. IM11 V005 dated_

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1 QA Hub User Guide IM11 V005 dated_

2 Contents 1 How does the QA Hub Work? How do I access the QA Hub? Overview Screen Submitting your evidence to us Upload Evidence Upload of DEA QA Evidence Uploading individual photographs, floor plans and site notes Uploading a single document (DEA Submissions only) Acceptable file types Upload of OCDEA QA Evidence Acceptable file types Upload of NDEA QA Evidence Acceptable file types Reducing the size of images Zipped files QA Audit Completed Re-submission of evidence for failed audits On-line help How to contact us via the QA Hub IM11 V005 dated_

3 QA HUB USER GUIDE What is the Quality Assurance (QA) Hub? The QA Hub is a web-based data management tool which maintains an up to date record of all Elmhurst Domestic Energy Assessors QA submissions and each assessor has access to their own individual database via an on-line interface. 1 How does the QA Hub Work? You will continue to receive quality assurance requests via and these s will include a link to the QA Hub. By following the link and logging into the QA Hub, you will now have the option to upload your survey evidence directly via the QA Hub itself. Once uploaded, a member of the Elmhurst QA Audit Team will review your submission and provide you with feedback, which will be available via the QA Hub, although you will also continue to receive this by e- mail. You may access the QA Hub at any time in order to check your overall QA status. If Elmhurst does not receive a response to a QA request, reminders will still be issued. The QA Hub will also provide you with details of any outstanding QA requests (and associated reminders) and can help you to respond quickly and easily. Important Note: We recommend that you log in to the QA Hub on a weekly basis to check for new QA requests. All QA requests will be clearly listed within the QA Hub, thus ensuring that they are not overlooked. In the unlikely event that you do not receive your QA request via , we recommend that you check your personal details. If the details are incorrect, please complete a Change of Details form, which can be downloaded directly from the QA Hub. IM11 V005 dated_

4 2 How do I access the QA Hub? The QA Hub log-in page can be accessed by following the link which is included within all QA request and reminder s. In addition to this, you can access the QA Hub from both the Elmhurst website and the Members Area. Here, it will be necessary to enter your Surveyor ID and your password, then click enter to access to the QA Hub. Alternatively, the QA Hub may be accessed by typing into your Internet browser. Important Note: If there are more than three unsuccessful attempts at entering your user ID and Password into the QA hub, the hub will block any further attempts as a security precaution. Should this happen, please contact the relevant Team on (DEA), (OCDEA) or (NDEA) to reset your password. Once you are logged in, you will have access to the Overview screen, which will provide you with a summary of your personal Q.A. status. IM11 V005 dated_

5 3 Overview Screen This screen is the main interface of Elmhurst s QA Hub. It will provide you with an overview of your QA status and allow you to access the system s various functions, as explained below: Surveyor Details This shows your name, telephone numbers and address. Search This allows you to enter an RRN or EPC Reference Number in order to quickly and easily locate any survey which has been requested for QA. Simply click on the Search button to start the search. Surveyor Awaiting evidence This row lists all QA requests which have not yet been submitted to Elmhurst. You can view full details of these surveys by clicking on any of the numbers in this row. Audit in Progress This row shows how many of your surveys are currently undergoing QA.NB - Clicking on the numbers in this row will not provide you with survey details at this stage in the QA process. Audit Completed When a survey has undergone QA and the feedback has been sent to you, it will appear in this row of the table. You are now able to view details of these surveys and their associated feedback by clicking on the numbers in this row. IM11 V005 dated_

6 NB.1 If you are unable to respond to a QA request within the mandatory timescales, due to holiday or sickness, please contact the QA administration team to confirm the date you will be returning to work. Once this has been authorised, an additional Return to work field will appear in your Surveyor details table NB.2 Should your account be suspended for nonsubmission of evidence within the mandatory timescale, your Account status will show as Suspended at the bottom of the Surveyor details table. Should you wish to return to the Home screen at any time, simply click on the orange Home link that appears below your Surveyor ID Number, situated to the left hand side of the screen. 4 Submitting your evidence to us When you click on any of the numbers in the Awaiting evidence row, you will be presented with a list of outstanding surveys along with their associated EPC Reference Numbers and RRNs (see example below). IM11 V005 dated_

7 Next, click on the survey you wish to submit the evidence for. When you click on this link, you will be presented with the full details of the audit request, as follows: Survey Details This shows your EPC Reference number, RRN, Property address and survey date. Audit status This details the current audit status including the date of the original request and any subsequent reminders, and the date that the evidence is due (i.e. the submission deadline). If your audit submission is overdue, this will be clearly marked next to the Evidence due date, as shown below. IM11 V005 dated_

8 5 Upload Evidence For Domestic Energy Assessors (DEA), On Construction Domestic Energy Assessors (OCDEA) and Non Domestic Energy Assessors (NDEA) the upload process is different. Please refer to the relevant section for the discipline concerned. DEA Section 5.1, OCDEA Section 5.2, NDEA Section Upload of DEA QA Evidence It is possible for you to submit your survey via the QA Hub in one of two ways either as individual files (i.e. photographs, floor plans and site notes) or as a single document containing all of your evidence Uploading individual photographs, floor plans and site notes Should you choose to submit your evidence to us as individual files, rather than a single document, please follow the steps outlined below: Browse Button Upload Button Submit Evidence Button Step 1 - Add a photograph to your Q.A. submission by clicking on the Browse button and navigating to the relevant file (which you have previously stored on your PC). Double click on the photo file and the file name will appear in the Upload Photos box. Step 2 - Next, click the Upload button. IM11 V005 dated_

9 Step 3 - The name of the selected file will now appear in the Details box, allowing you to verify that the correct file has been uploaded. Step 4 - If an incorrect file has been uploaded into the Details box, simply click the remove tab adjacent to the file name to remove it. Step 5 - The above steps should now be repeated in order to upload additional photographs, your floor plan and site note files. IMPORTANT When submitting your photographs, floor plans and site notes as individual files, you must ensure that all three sections (i.e. Photos, Floor Plans and Site Notes) are populated with the relevant files. Should you attempt to submit your evidence without populating all three sections, you will be presented with an error message and your QA submission will not be received by Elmhurst. Step 6 - When you are satisfied that all files have been uploaded to the QA Hub, click the SUBMIT EVIDENCE button. You have now successfully submitted your evidence to us! Important Note: Compressed ( zipped ) files can only be submitted if they uploaded as a Single Document (please see the guidance below for Uploading a Single Document ). are NB - there is a total upload size limit of 30MB. Please ensure that you evidence files do not exceed this size limit or your submission will not be received by Elmhurst Uploading a single document (DEA Submissions only) If you wish to submit your survey evidence as a single document (i.e. one file containing all photographs, floor plans and site notes), this should be created in either MS Word or PDF format. If appropriate, the file should be zipped (i.e. compressed) to ensure that it does not exceed the maximum total size limit of 30Mb. Please see section 6 Reducing the size of images and section 7 Zipped files for further guidance. Browse Button Upload Button Submit Evidence Button IM11 V005 dated_

10 Step 1 - Click on the Browse button and navigate to the single document, which you have previously saved on your PC. Double click on the file and the file name will appear in the Single Document box. Step 2 - Next, click the Upload button. Step 3 - The name of the single document file will now appear within the upload box, allowing you to verify that the correct file has been uploaded, prior to submission. Step 4 - If an incorrect file has been uploaded, simply click the remove tab adjacent to the file name to remove it. Step 5 - When you are satisfied that the correct file been uploaded to the QA Hub, click the SUBMIT EVIDENCE button. You have now successfully submitted your evidence to us! NB - there is a total upload size limit of 30MB. Please ensure that you evidence file does not exceed this size limit Acceptable file types The file types which can be submitted via the QA Hub are: Photos: - Floor Plans: - Site Notes: - Single Document: - JPG, JPEG, GIF, PNG, BMP PDF, DOC, DOCX, DWG, JPEG, JPG, GIF, PNG, BMP TXT, RTF, PDF, DOC, DOCX, JPG, JPEG, GIF, PNG, BMP ZIP, PDF, DOC, DOCX Prompts: Should you attempt to upload an unacceptable file type, the following prompt will appear to remind you which file types can be uploaded (for example, if you attempt to upload a PDF file in the Photos upload field). IM11 V005 dated_

11 5.2 Upload of OCDEA QA Evidence Please note that OCDEA submissions can only be sent as individual files and there is no option to submit your evidence as a single document. To submit your audit evidence to us, please follow the steps detailed below: Browse button Upload button Submit evidence button Step 1 - Add a Transfile to your Q.A. submission by clicking on the Browse button and navigating to the relevant file (which you have previously stored on your PC). Double click on your selected file and the file name will appear in the Upload Transfiles box. Step 2 - Next, click the Upload button. Step 3 - The name of the selected transfile will now appear in the Details box, allowing you to verify that the correct file has been uploaded. Step 4 - If an incorrect file has been uploaded into the Details box, simply click the remove tab adjacent to the file name to remove it. Step 5 - The above steps should now be repeated in order to upload, your Plans, Specifications and As Built Checks files. IM11 V005 dated_

12 IMPORTANT When submitting your audit evidence as individual files, you must ensure that all four sections (i.e. Transfiles, Plans, Specifications and As Built Checks) are populated with the relevant files. Should you attempt to submit your evidence without populating all four sections, you will receive an error message and your submission will not be received by Elmhurst. Step 6 - When you are satisfied that all files have been uploaded to the QA Hub, click the SUBMIT EVIDENCE button. You have now successfully submitted your evidence to us! NB - there is a total upload size limit of 30MB. Please ensure that you evidence files do not exceed this size limit or your submission will not be received by Elmhurst. For advice on reducing the size of your evidence files, please refer to section 6 Reducing the size of images and section 7 Zipped files for further guidance Acceptable file types The file types which can be submitted via the QA Hub for OCDEA are: Transfiles: - Plans: - Specifications: - As Built Checks: - MDB, XML, 7z JPEG, JPG, GIF, PNG, BMP, DOC, DOCX, PDF, DWG DOC, DOCX, PDF DOC, DOCX, PDF IM11 V005 dated_

13 5.3 Upload of NDEA QA Evidence It is possible to submit your survey evidence via the QA Hub as individual files or combined in a single ZIP file. See section Zipped Files Browse button Upload button Submit evidence button Step 1 - Add a file to your QA submission by clicking on the Browse button and navigating to the relevant file (previously stored on your PC). Select the file for upload and the file name will appear in the upload Box. Step 2 - Click the Upload button. Step 3 - The name of the selected file will now appear below the upload box, allowing you to verify that the correct file has been uploaded. Step 4 - If an incorrect file has been uploaded, click the link remove adjacent to the file name to remove it. Step 5 - Repeat the steps above to upload additional files, i.e. Photographs, floor plans, site notes etc. IM11 V005 dated_

14 Step 6 - When you are satisfied that all files have been uploaded to the QA Hub, click the SUBMIT EVIDENCE button. This will submit the uploaded evidence for QA. NB There is a total size limit of 100MB. Please ensure that your evidence file does not exceed this limit. For advice on reducing the size of your evidence files, please refer to section 6 Reducing the size of images and section 7 Zipped files for further guidance Acceptable file types The file types which can be submitted via the QA Hub for NDEA are: Data Files File Extension.NCT.DSB.MIT.CCZ Calculation Program isbem or G-iSBEM Design builder VE Carbon checker Please note : if you are using PT Lifespan there will be no data file to submit. Other files: - JPEG, JPG, GIF, PNG, BMP, DOC, DOCX, PDF, DWG, DXF IM11 V005 dated_

15 6 Reducing the size of images Files submitted via the QA Hub must not exceed the total maximum file size of 30Mb for DEA & OCDEA and 100Mb for NDEA The size of each file is verified on screen adjacent to the uploaded file. If your photograph/image files sizes are large, it may be necessary to reduce their size. This can easily be achieved using most photo/image software packages or within Microsoft Windows using a basic application such as Paint. Alternatively, a number of free applications are available via the Internet, which will allow you to reduce image file sizes. 7 Zipped files If your submission is to be sent as a single document, the file can be compressed, or zipped, to reduce its size. To compress (or zip ) a document file using Windows XP, Vista or 7, simply locate the file on your PC and right click on it. At this point choose Send To and then Compressed (Zipped) Folder. This will create a new zip folder with the same name as the original document file - the newly created, compressed document file can be found inside. Alternatively, document files can be compressed using third party software such as WinZip, details of which can be found by carrying out an Internet search. Useful Tip: Please be aware that reducing the size of a photograph file may change the electronic date embedded within the file this can be particularly problematic if the embedded date is to be used by the auditors to verify the date of your photograph. We therefore recommend that you adjust the settings of your digital camera to a low resolution in order to keep the size of photograph files at a manageable level. In addition to this, we also recommend that your camera is set up to date stamp the photographic image if this function is available to you. When scanning site notes and floor plans, please set your scanner resolution to a level which ensures that the file size is not excessive, whilst still ensuring that these documents can easily be read by the auditor. IM11 V005 dated_

16 8 QA Audit Completed When an audit has been completed and the feedback sent to you, you are able to view details of the audit and the associated feedback. All completed audits will appear in the Audit Completed row of the table on the Overview Screen (see page 4 of this manual). When you click on any of the numbers in the Audit Completed row, you will be presented with a list of completed audits along with their associated EPC Reference Numbers and RRNs (see below).: You can now view the associated feedback by clicking on the relevant record link for each audit. When you click on an audit record, you will be presented with the following screen: Surveyor This screen lists the following information: IM11 V005 dated_

17 Survey details - this lists the EPC Reference Number, RRN, property address and survey date. Audit Status - this displays the current audit status, audit request date, evidence submitted date and audit completed date. Audit Result - this shows the result of the selected audit. Variance this is the total SAP variance, as calculated by the auditor. Feedback observations and feedback provided by the auditor. Relodgement Status if mandatory relodgement is required as a result of the audit, this field will show the current status. Uploaded Evidence this is a record of the evidence submitted for the audit. To view the evidence simply click on the download tab next to the file name. 9 Re-submission of evidence for failed audits In the event of an audit failure, any further evidence required such as photos, floor plans, site notes and other relevant information, including the replacement RRN number for the relodged EPC can be uploaded as follows: Step 1- Click on the following link to access the specific EPC(s): Step 2- Click on the required EPC in the table: IM11 V005 dated_

18 Step 3- Upload any additional evidence in the appropriate sections: Step 4- Enter the replacement RRN number in the box at the bottom of the page, and click the Confirm relodgement button. The following box will now appear: Click the confirm button to submit the RRN number. Please note that in exceptional circumstances, should you have any issues with the relodgement, the RRN number can be ed to along with the original defective RRN number and a note of your query. 10 On-line help A copy of this user guide can be accessed at any time when using the QA Hub by clicking on the Help link, which can be found at the left hand menu. This document is also available in the Documents Download section of the Members Area. Confirm relodgement button IM11 V005 dated_

19 11 How to contact us via the QA Hub Should you need to contact us about the QA process, click the Contact Us link on the left hand menu. If you are not familiar with E.S.P, you can download the user guide by clicking on the link which can be found in the Documents/Software download section of our Members Area. To advise us of any changes to your contact details, please complete a Change of Details form which can also be found in the Documents/Software download section of our Members Area. IM11 V005 dated_

20 Glossary of terms BMP Bitmap image file format. BMP is an older file format for saving pictures, commonly used in MS Paint. DOC / DOCX Word processing file format, typically used by Microsoft Word. DOC is most commonly used in MS Office 97/2000/XP. DOCX is most commonly used in MS Office DWG File format used for storing two and three dimensional design data. Native format for several CAD packages. EPC - Energy Performance Certificate EPCs tell you how energy efficient a home is on a scale of A-G. The most efficient homes - which should have the lowest fuel bills - are in band A. The Certificate also tells you, on a scale of A-G, about the impact the home has on the environment. Better-rated homes should have less impact through carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions. The average property in the UK is in bands D-E for both ratings. The Certificate includes recommendations on ways to improve the home's energy efficiency to save you money and help the environment EPC Reference Number EPC Reference Number is the unique reference number for each individual Energy Performance Certificate produced when lodged. E.S.P. Elmhurst Support Portal a quick and easy way to contact Elmhurst Existing Dwellings Team. GIF Graphics Interchange Format a bitmap image format. This image format is commonly used in websites. JPG JPEG is the most common image format used by digital cameras and other photographic image capture devices. MS Microsoft Password IM11 V005 dated_

21 A unique password is issued to each surveyor upon accreditation. The surveyor can change this password at any time. This password is used to log into Elmhurst Members Area. PDF Portable Document Format a file format created by Adobe Systems. There are several PDF writers and readers. Adobe Acrobat is the most common. PNG Portable Network Graphics a bitmapped image format. PNG was created to improve upon and replace GIF (Graphics Interchange Format). RDSAP - Reduced Data Standard Assessment Procedure Reduced Data SAP has been developed by the government for use in existing dwellings based on a site survey of the property, when the complete data set for a SAP calculation is not available. RRN Report Reference Number is the unique reference number for each individual Energy Performance Certificate produced when lodged in the central register. RTF Rich Text Format a document file format. Most word processors can read this type of document. Surveyor ID Number This is a unique eight digit number issued to a surveyor upon accreditation. This Surveyor ID Number is used to log into Elmhurst Members Area. TXT Text File. QA Quality Assurance ZIP ZIP file format is a data compression and archive format. A ZIP file contains one or more files that have been compressed to reduce file size. There are several software compression programs perhaps the most common being WinZip. IM11 V005 dated_