Energy statements are not just a formality; they are a fundamental element in the property planning process. They provide local authorities with the assurance that a development will meet specific energy and sustainability criteria, which is a growing priority in the UK’s effort to reduce its carbon footprint.
For local planning authorities and anyone involved in property planning, understanding and implementing the recommendations of an energy statement is a key to achieving compliance and promoting responsible development practices.
Sound insulation testing is the assessment of the sound insulation performance of party walls and party floors between different dwellings. Testing is required once the property is nearing final completion and determines if the minimum Building Regulation Approved Document E ‘Resistance to the passage of sound’ standard has been met.
All new and converted dwelling houses and flats for residential purpose require sound testing to Approved Document E standard. This also includes a room or suite of rooms which is not a dwelling house or a flat but which is used by one or more persons to live and sleep.
Generally, a full set of tests is made up of six individual sound tests – two airborne wall tests, two airborne floor tests and two impact floor tests. This is required where flats have both separating walls and floors.
We provide a site checklist with all quotations. The most important considerations are that all windows and doors are fitted, seals and thresholds are fitted and that there is a 240v electrical supply in each room to avoid running extension cables through doors.
Sound insulation performance varies for many reasons. Assuming correct designs and material selection, the most common factor influencing performance is poor workmanship. Detailing is critical in maximising on site performance & the prevention of sound flanking.
Our expert acoustic consultants can review the designs, provide advice and carry out onsite inspections during the build process to check specifically for any workmanship issues that could result in sound testing failure.
The time taken for testing varies with site conditions, but generally a set of tests on houses takes about one to two hours and a set of tests on flats take between two and three hours.
The cost depends upon the number and type of tests required. Please contact us for a free quote.
Where possible, our engineer will provide preliminary test results before leaving the site. We will follow this with a fully documented and signed report which will be emailed to you as a PDF report within 48 hours of your sound test. We can arrange priority 24hr report turnaround where required.
In line with the regulations you are required to carry out remedial works to ensure the development meets the relevant performance requirements and re-test. If you don’t know what to do by way of remedial works then our experienced consultants can advise you.
An EPC is an abbreviated word for Energy Performance Certificate.
An Energy Performance Certificate – or EPC – is a document which sets out the energy efficiency of a property on a system of A to G – A being the most efficient.
An EPC provides an indication of how much it will cost to heat and power a property. It also includes recommendations of energy-efficient improvements, the cost of carrying them out, and the potential savings in pounds and pence that each one could generate.
Energy Performance Certificate is valid for 10 years.
It is a legal requirement to have a valid Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) when a building is sold, rented or constructed.
Your property’s EPC needs to be available to potential buyers as soon as you start to market your property for sale or rent. This will inform people how energy efficient the property is, including any potential savings on fuel payments.
The Department of Finance DoF and district councils have the duty to enforce the requirements of the EPC regulations. District councils enforce in relation to all but their own relevant public buildings in which case DoF is the enforcement authority.
Failure to comply with the regulations or a request to produce relevant documents from an enforcer may result in the issue of a penalty charge notice.
In the case of a dwelling, the penalty is 200 pound and for non-dwellings it is 12.5 per cent of the net annual value, for each breach of failing to:
If you need an energy performance certificate for your home, you can visit the Energy Performance of Buildings Register. You can also search through the EPC certificate ratings of other properties in your area for free.
The energy assessment needed to produce an EPC is performed by a qualified and accredited energy assessor who visits the property, examines key items such as cavity wall, floor and loft insulation, domestic boiler, hot water tank, radiators, heating controls windows for double glazing, and so on. He or she then inputs the observations into a software program which performs the calculation of energy efficiency. The program gives a single number for the rating of energy efficiency, and a recommended value of the potential for improvement. There are similar figures for environmental impact. A table of estimated energy bills per annum and the potential for improvement is also presented, but without any reference to householder bills. The exercise is entirely non-invasive, so the software will make assumptions on the insulation properties of various elements of the property based on age and construction type. The assessor has the ability to over-ride these assumptions if visual or written evidence is provided to support the presence of insulation which may have been subsequently installed.
An assessment can take on average between 1- 2 hours depending on the size and other factors of the property.
If you are selling a property then there are no minimum requirements, you simply need to have a valid EPC in place.
A landlord must not grant a new tenancy including a renewal tenancy of a property after 1 April 2018 or continue to let any property after 1 April 2023 where the property has an EPC Rating of F or G. Subject to some prescribed exemptions Part 3 of the Principal 2015 Regulations states.
An Energy Performance Certificate helps you reduce your energy consumption and associated costs. This is achieved by following the recommendations and benchmarks for performance that are listed in the EPC.
Extra requirements were introduced whereby a section 21 notice two months no fault notice could not be served unless an Energy Performance Certificate EPC, gas safety check certificate and the government’s How to Rent Guide had been served on the tenant.
If the tenancy started after 1 October 2008 then an EPC would have been required but if the same tenant remains in situ then there is no requirement to get a new EPC when the original EPC has expires.
An energy statement is a detailed report about how a planned development will meet the energy efficiency standards set by local planning authorities.
Each Energy Statement will include:
Energy statements are not just a formality; they are a fundamental element in the property planning process. They provide local authorities with the assurance that a development will meet specific energy and sustainability criteria, which is a growing priority in the UK’s effort to reduce its carbon footprint.
For local planning authorities and anyone involved in property planning, understanding and implementing the recommendations of an energy statement is a key to achieving compliance and promoting responsible development practices.
An Energy Statement should usually be submitted alongside your planning application, so it is important to commission someone before this.
In certain circumstances, the Energy Statement will be requested post-application as part of a set planning condition, but it can save valuable time and money if this is done a lot earlier in the design stage.
Part O only applies to new residential buildings. See paragraph 0.3 of Approved Document O where this is explained further. Conservatories on new residential buildings must meet the requirements of Part O.
Part O does not apply to extensions or conservatories added to residential buildings after they are built.
Part O does not apply to buildings undergoing a change of use.
For most of the smaller projects the simplified method of assessment is suitable. Where compliance cannot be achieved using the simplified method, the CIBSE TM59 method is used. Dynamic simulation software is required for a TM59 Assessment and as such the cost is higher but it can provide more flexibility in design than the simplified method.
In London and Manchester, this must be demonstrated at planning stage using Dynamic Thermal Modelling (DTM). Elsewhere in England and Wales, a Simplified Method of assessment is available to demonstrate compliance.
If you are designing or building a new building in the UK, you will need to conduct overheating calculations in order to comply with the Building Regulations. This applies to both residential and non-residential buildings. Part O of the Building Regulations does not apply to extensions added to residential dwellings after their built, nor does it apply to buildings undergoing a material change of use.
SAP Calculations’ are the standard method of assessing the energy performance of a building. They are required by the Building Regulations for new builds and conversions. They are also used to assess the environmental impact of a building.
Whether you’re building is a new home or extending your existing property, you’ll need to perform SAP calculations to comply with approved document L of the building regulations. These calculations determine the energy efficiency of your building.
SAP calculations are usually carried out using software. This allows the calculation of different parameters such as the DER, DFEE, and the energy demand. These parameters are then used to produce an Energy Performance Certificate. A higher score means that the building is more energy efficient. This can help reduce the energy costs of running the home.
A Design Stage SAP report is required before work can commence. It takes into account the thermal efficiency of the envelope, position of the dwelling in relation to its surroundings, and the type of cooling and heating required.
Once the building is completed, the construction details are re-assessed and any final details included, such as boiler model or air tightness score. This final report produced the EPC and need to submit building control authority to compliance with Part L of the Building Regulations.
It is recommended that the SAP calculation is undertaken early in the design process, this will help to prevent any costly redesign of the dwelling.
If the property does not meet the requirements of Part L of the Building Regulations, it will not be approved and will not be able to be let or sold. Developers should perform the SAP calculation early on in the design process, to set up the development for compliance.
SBEM is used to demonstrate the energy performance of new and existing non-domestic buildings. SBEM stands for ‘Simplified Building Energy Model’. It is a government approved methodology that calculates the energy required to heat, cool, ventilate and light a non-dwelling.
If you build houses or apartments blocks, it will need its own sap calculation, although any building that’s not a dwelling will need a SBEM calculation. A SBEAM is needed for non-domestic new builds.
Whether you are looking to refurbish, retrofit or add an extension to your build, it is likely you will need to do a SBEM calculation. For example if your extension to your existing build exceeds 100m2 and is greater than 25% of the total floor area of the existing build, you will need a SBEM.
They apply to non-domestic buildings, which include commercial and public structures like shops, offices, schools, and hospitals. These calculations are necessary for obtaining an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) and ensuring the building’s compliance with energy efficiency standards. BRUKL report is generated as a result of SBEM calculations.
SBEM calculations involve two primary stages: ‘As Design’ and ‘As Built.’ The process uses specialized software (iSBEM) to predict a building’s carbon emissions and monthly energy use based on various factors like construction details, building geometry, and weather data. The calculations are split into different end-uses; including heating, cooling, lighting, ventilation, hot water, and auxiliary energy.
Water Efficiency Calculations are used to measure compliance with water efficiency targets for new build dwellings and conversions. These calculations are used to ensure compliance with Part G of UK Building Regulations where a maximum water use of 125 litres per person is required.
Water efficiency is measured in litres/minute. So, if it takes 10 seconds to fill a 1-litre jug, the total water flow in 60 seconds will amount to 6 litres. Therefore, that a flow rate of 6 litres/minute! As an indication, a very efficient kitchen faucet has a flow rate of less than 4.5 litres / minute.
Less water going down the drain means more water available in the lakes, rivers and streams that we use for recreation and wildlife uses to survive. Using water more efficiently helps maintain supplies at safe levels, protecting human health and the environment.
Efficient water use can have major environmental, public health, and economic benefits by helping to improve water quality, maintain aquatic ecosystems, and protect drinking water resources.