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It is imperative to have the assessment carried out before any construction work commences in case any alterations are required for the design. This allows the greatest flexibility in materials and cost to our clients.

Describe the item or answer the question so that As of the 6th April 2008, only authorised On Construction Domestic Energy Assessors (OCDEA’s) are able to create SAP Calculations and EPCs for newly constructed properties, extended properties (where the glazing area exceeds 25% of the floor area) and conversions (for example a farm out building being converted into a residential dwelling).

No. In fact, many conversions, extensions, and change of use schemes will require SAP Calculations under Part L1b of the building regulations:

• Extensions with more than 25% glazing-to-floor area.
• Barn conversions.
• Commercial to domestic conversions.
• Conversion from a single dwelling to flats or apartments.

We can complete SAP calculations remotely. All we need are:

• Drawings to scale, accurate and with all elevations, sections, floors and site plans.
• Details of primary and secondary heating systems, glazing types, renewable technologies and other materials and technologies that influence energy consumption.

However, please do not hesitate to contact us with any queries.

SAP is an assessment, while EPC is a certificate. The two certainly are closely related, with the EPC being produced based on the results of the SAP calculations to highlight the energy use and CO2 emissions of a building. It is important to remember that they are separate entities.

These calculations are necessary to exemplify your building’s compliance with Part L (England & Wales), Document F (Northern Ireland) and Section 6 (Scotland) of the Building Regulations.

Standard Building Energy Model (SBEM) calculations must be carried out prior to the commencement of any building works; deferring this could prove costly to the whole project as you may be prohibited from beginning work on site. The sooner the process is started, the more time there is to resolve any problems before the building process begins.

At Energy Service Midlands Ltd we work on SBEM calculations every day and by involving one of our trained consultants in the initial design stages, we can help you develop your project to successfully meet the Building Regulations and avoid costly delays.

There are two stages at which SBEM calculations are provided: As Design & As Built Stage.

A requirement of the Approved Document G section of the Building Regulations is that all new dwellings (including those created through a material change of use) must stay below a projected water consumption of no more than 125 liters per person, per day. There will be some instances where planning will require this to be reduced to 110 liters per person, per day.

The projected water consumption must be calculated in accordance with the procedure described in The Water Efficiency Calculator for new dwellings.

We can provide you with a copy of the calculations required for compliance with Approved Document G. Furthermore, to ensure every dwelling achieves a pass we will advise you on the minimum acceptable efficiency for each fitting.

Factors that affect the calculated water consumption of a dwelling include:

• The capacity of baths.
• The flushing capacity of WCs.
• The flow rate of taps and showers.
• The consumption per kilogram of dry load for washing machines.
• The consumption per place setting of dishwashers.
• The efficiency of water softeners.
• any on-site greywater or rainwater harvesting.