Building Regulations, EPCs and BREEAM

BuildDesk can help steer you through Building Regulations, BREEAM energy requirements, SBEM calculations and Energy Performance Certificates (EPCs).

Building Regulations

New buildings and major refurbishments must meet the requirements of Building Regulations. For energy, in England and Wales this means complying with Part L of the regulations. Part L sets minimum standards for energy performance. BuildDesk offers consultancy and training on how to meet these Building Regulations requirements.

Energy Performance Certificates

Under separate legislation buildings now need an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) whenever they are sold or rented. The EPC shows the energy performance of the building based on its construction and fixed services, such as heating and lighting. The building will be rated on an A to G scale with A being the best.

EPCs can only be obtained from accredited energy assessors who use approved software. There are different types of assessor and EPCs are only valid if they are produced by an appropriately qualified assessor. The classes of accreditation are:

•  Commercial Energy Assessor - produces EPCs for buildings that are not dwellings. They use a simplified building energy model (SBEM) tool, such as BuildDesk Carbon Checker software, or an approved dynamic simulation model (DSM).
•  On Construction Domestic Energy Assessor (OCDEA) - produces EPCs for newly built houses. They use approved SAP2005 software, sometimes also referred to as full SAP such as BuildDesk Energy Design.
•  Domestic Energy Assessors or Home Inspectors can both produce EPCs for existing houses. They use reduced data SAP (RdSAP) software that has a simplified methodology called RdSAP.

 We can help

BuildDesk produces Government approved software for Commercial Energy Assessors and OCDEAs; we can assist with training or even signpost you to suitable assessors.  We have our own commercial energy assessor who can assist at any stage from design to EPC lodgement.

We undertake SBEM calculations and EPCs to ensure that our software is optimised for the needs of our users. We don't compete with our software users, we only carry out a limited number of EPCs each year. When we work on projects directly, you can be sure we offer a professional service.

BuildDesk Limited employs a BER assessor registered by SEI (Sustainable Energy Ireland). Consequently, we are also able to undertake Building Energy Ratings in the Republic of Ireland for commercial buildings.

BREEAM

As interest in the sustainability of buildings has increased, so has interest in BREEAM. BREEAM is an approach developed by the BRE to rate the sustainability of buildings. It covers more that just energy and the environment and is seen as a robust indicator of a building's sustainability.

Energy forms an important part of the BREEAM assessment, accounting for 19% of the available marks. BuildDesk can help you carry out the analysis necessary for the energy scoring for BREEAM.

Code for Sustainable Homes

The Code for Sustainable Homes derives from using the BREEAM approach on new homes. It was preceded by BREEAM EcoHomes, which is still used in Scotland. As in other BREEAM schemes, energy performance is very important. The difference is that energy accounts for a higher percentage of the score in the Code than it does in BREEAM. As with BREEAM assessments, BuildDesk can help you carry out the energy analysis required for the Code.

For more information on any of the services we can offer on Building Regulations, SBEM, EPCs, BREEAM or the Code for Sustainable Homes, please contact us at info@builddesk.co.uk

• Home
• Our software
• Training
• Accreditation Schemes
• Building Regulations, EPCs and BREEAM
  • SBEM Calculations and Services
• Consultancy
• Our projects and clients
• News & Information
• About us
• Contact us

	BuildDesk in Europe