What exactly are SAP ratings? SAP ratings sound complicated, but in reality they can be relatively simple to understand. Here is a brief guide...
The acronym SAP stands for Standard Assessment Procedure, which is a procedure used to calculate how energy efficient a building is. All new buildings are required to have a SAP rating along with buildings that are undergoing major remodeling. This is a government created scheme, to encourage energy efficiency in homes.
How does the SAP work? The Standard Assessment Procedure makes use of a scale from 1-120 based on the yearly energy costs for water heating, space and lighting as well as the carbon dioxide emission rate. There are several things needed in order to calculate the SAP rating for a property: • Construction details, including U (heat loss) values • The drawings of the building design • Window and door details • The boiler, hot water cylinder and control system information.
When all of the data has been collected, it is input into the authorized software by a accredited assessor, and a draft report is produced. If the building passes all of the criteria, an As-built final report is then given along with a Predicted Energy Performance Certificate and is submitted with the main application to building control before any building work has started.
If the project fails any of the criteria, it needs to be redesigned so that it complies with all of the regulations. Once it meets the regulation standards, the assessor is informed of any changes to the build and confirms that it now meets the standards. They then produce the As-built final SAP report, and the On Construction - Energy Performance Certificate (OC-EPC) if relevant, and then submit them to building control for the final sign off.
So there you have it, SAP energy ratings in a nutshell! Be sure to keep them in mind if you are thinking of renovating, or building a self build home.
CONTACT BLOCK ENERGY SERVICES NOW IF YOU REQUIRE A SAP ENERGY RATING
We would like to apologise to those of you who have already downloaded Episode 3 of the Block Podcast; it wasn't until after it was formatted and uploaded to the server that we noticed there was a problem with the sound.
We have now rectified the problem and replaced the file on the server. If you have already downloaded the podcast form iTunes, please delete the file then refresh you podcast feed and the new version will download. Alternatively, you can listed to the amended version via the audio player in this blog post.
Once again, our apologies for any inconvenience.
Audience numbers continue to grow for the Block Podcast and we are extremely happy with the reaction to Episode 2 and the feedback we have received via Twitter and email, please continue to tell us what you think of each episode and any suggestions you may have for the future. We are also keen to hear from anybody who would like to take part in future podcasts.
Episode 3 of the Block Podcast was recorded on the Tuesday 27th September and we were delighted to welcome back some guests along with one new one - here are the participants:
We covered lots of topics during our open and lively conversation and we hope that there's something in the podcast for you. To help you decide, we've listed some of the topics/questions that were asked and answered during the recording. We began by looking at marketing within the construction industry, here are some of the key topics:
The need to be more focussed in today's market
Do your existing clients know all of the services you provide?
Target specific audiences for particular services
Explore potential new markets by looking at things like changes in legislation
Check that your business is geared up to chase potential new markets
Are you engaging and making the most of your relationships?
Is it relationships or price that really drives business?
Are you humanising your organisation in order to encourage relationships?
Is the construction industry making the best use of new technology such as Skype?
We also explore the value of collaboration and the benefits of forming partnerships, how much you should publicly promote partnerships, whether partnerships can get help you tender for bigger projects and, whether architects still play the lead role on construction projects.
We then move swiftly onto the subject of networking and explore the real value of networking events - can we really form lasting relationships from these meetings or, are they simply a hunting ground for salesmen?
Finally, we discuss the Contaminated Land Regulations and the planned changes in the legislation. Along the way we discuss the following:
The complexity of the current regulations
Why we need different legislation in Scotland
The Ravenscraig solution
What defines contaminated land
Is there a legal obligation for Local Authorities to request reports?
The benefits and implications of assigning reports
During the recording we also talked about the role of SEPA and issue an invitation to them to take part in a future podcast so, if you know someone from SEPA perhaps you can share this blog and the podcast with them.
We hope you enjoy the discussion on this podcast and, if you would like to take part in a future episode please email Gordon White or Kenneth Martin for a chat.
We would also like to get some feedback from you about the podcast and suggestions for topics you would like us to cover; you can either leave them as a comment here on the blog or, on our Facebook Page.
If you have enjoyed this post or the podcast please use the Facebook, Twitter and Share buttons below to share it with your online community, there's a good chance they will find it interesting too. Thank you.
Please also remember you can follow Block Architects on our Facebook Page by clicking here.
Audience numbers continue to grow for the Block Podcast and we are extremely happy with the reaction to Episode 2 and the feedback we have received via Twitter and email, please continue to tell us what you think of each episode and any suggestions you may have for the future. We are also keen to hear from anybody who would like to take part in future podcasts.
Episode 3 of the Block Podcast was recorded on the Tuesday 27th September and we were delighted to welcome back some guests along with one new one - here are the participants:
We covered lots of topics during our open and lively conversation and we hope that there's something in the podcast for you. To help you decide, we've listed some of the topics/questions that were asked and answered during the recording. We began by looking at marketing within the construction industry, here are some of the key topics:
The need to be more focussed in today's market
Do your existing clients know all of the services you provide?
Target specific audiences for particular services
Explore potential new markets by looking at things like changes in legislation
Check that your business is geared up to chase potential new markets
Are you engaging and making the most of your relationships?
Is it relationships or price that really drives business?
Are you humanising your organisation in order to encourage relationships?
Is the construction industry making the best use of new technology such as Skype?
We also explore the value of collaboration and the benefits of forming partnerships, how much you should publicly promote partnerships, whether partnerships can get help you tender for bigger projects and, whether architects still play the lead role on construction projects.
We then move swiftly onto the subject of networking and explore the real value of networking events - can we really form lasting relationships from these meetings or, are they simply a hunting ground for salesmen?
Finally, we discuss the Contaminated Land Regulations and the planned changes in the legislation. Along the way we discuss the following:
The complexity of the current regulations
Why we need different legislation in Scotland
The Ravenscraig solution
What defines contaminated land
Is there a legal obligation for Local Authorities to request reports?
The benefits and implications of assigning reports
During the recording we also talked about the role of SEPA and issue an invitation to them to take part in a future podcast so, if you know someone from SEPA perhaps you can share this blog and the podcast with them.
We hope you enjoy the discussion on this podcast and, if you would like to take part in a future episode please email Gordon White or Kenneth Martin for a chat.
We would also like to get some feedback from you about the podcast and suggestions for topics you would like us to cover; you can either leave them as a comment here on the blog or, on our Facebook Page.
If you have enjoyed this post or the podcast please use the Facebook, Twitter and Share buttons below to share it with your online community, there's a good chance they will find it interesting too. Thank you.
Please also remember you can follow Block Architects on our Facebook Page by clicking here.
