For new builds, SAP calculations are made at the design stage to arrive at a Predicted Energy Assessment (PEA). This provides a rating of energy performance based on the design of the house and shows the building inspector that the home will meet the requirements under Building Regulations Part L. Publication of 2018 editions of Approved Document L1B and Domestic Building Services Compliance Guide incorporating 2018 amendments.

Please note that “building notice”, “initial notice” and “full plans” have the meanings given in Regulation 2 of the Building Regulations 2010. If the house fails its SAP due to air leakage, the test engineers may use coloured smoke and positive air pressure to reveal where the gaps are. If it fails due to a change of design during the build – perhaps a boiler was changed for a less efficient one or the glazing areas were increased, for example – the remediation may be harder to achieve. It may result in the need for some solar-power installation or heat recovery ventilation. If the same builder has produced an identical construction in the last 12 months and successfully passed an airtightness test Finally, the SAP assessor will create an EPC, which is required for homes when built, sold or let. Authorised SAP assessors are needed to produce these calculations and ultimately your completed home’s EPC.

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It is important for all installers to consider both the new requirements, and best practice to ensure that these requirements are consistently met, and maximum efficiency is achieved. U-values need to be improved in walls and replacement thermal elements from 0.28W/m2K to 0.18W/m2K, and the minimum values for doors, windows and roof windows has improved from 1.6 to 1.4. The U-value for doors has gone from 1.8 to 1.4, while fire doors can meet the U-value of 1.8 in line with previous standards. Include Approved Construction Details (ACDs) as part of the design, if you can. These are large-scale section details of elements like window openings and eaves details. They aim to ensure airtightness and reduce cold bridging from key parts of the structure and help towards achieving compliance We are a member of Attain Academy Partnership andthe lead school in the Chelmsford Teaching SchoolAlliance (CTSA). Looking to the future, building regulations will see a complete overhaul in 2025 as the Future Homes Standard and Building Standards will be in place. These will be an additional steppingstone to meet the UK’s NetZero target in 2050.

The uplift will also encourage the installation of air source heat pumps and ground source heat pumps. New homes will now be assessed under a new Standard Assessment Procedure (SAP) calculation called SAP10. Formerly calculated using SAP 2012, SAP10 is an update on this methodology, setting greater insulation requirements and a new target primary energy rate, expressed as kWhPE/(m² per year).An installer will need to calculate heat loss for all heating system types, including oil, gas and renewable systems. If you’re looking to introduce new or replacement thermal elements to your home, such as new windows and doors, then minimum new fabric efficiency standards will now apply.

Republished Approved Document L: Volumes 1 and 2 with corrections which can be found in Circular 01/2022 - https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/building-regulations-in-england-circular-012022 Continuing the push towards low carbon heating systems, the new requirements state that these systems must have a maximum flow temperature of 55 degrees, compared to the previous standard of 80 degrees.With new changes to Part L Building Regulations having come into place in June, it is important for installers to be aware of all the new legal requirements that will apply to their work in both new and existing heating systems, when the heat source is replaced.