FAQ’S

Energy Companies Obligation

The ECO was announced in January 2013 to decrease the UKs energy intake and support people living in fuel deficiency. It does this by backing energy competence improvements value around 1.3 billion every year.

Parliament approved the Electricity and Gas (ECO) Order 2012 on 4 December 2012 and it is currently in effect. The ECO will run until March 2015, supporting and backing up the installation of energy effectiveness measures in low-income homes and areas, and in possessions that are harder and difficult to treat. It works together with the Green Deal to give customers support and backing for energy competence improvements in their homes.

The Green Deal and the ECO will aid reduce carbon emanations from the UKs local building stock, which is a vital part of the UKs plan to meet its constitutional domestic carbon emanation reduction objectives by 2050.

Obligations of the ECO

There are 3top most obligations under the ECO.

Carbon Redeemable Community Obligation

This offers insulation measures to families in definite areas of low income. It also makes certain that 15% of each provider’s obligation is used to improve and upgrade more difficult-to-reach low-income homes in country areas.

You will find a record list of entitled low-income areas and a description of country areas for England, Scotland and Wales (as referred to in the ECO Order) in Energy Corporation Obligation Carbon Redeemable Community Obligation: country and low-income areas.

Reasonable Warmth Obligation

This offers heating and lagging measures to customers living in private tenancy properties that receive particular means-tested welfares. This responsibility funds low-income customers that are susceptible to the influence of living in cold homes, comprising the elderly, immobilized and families.

Carbon Redeemable Obligation

This covers the fixing of measures like dense wall and difficult-to-treat hollow wall insulation, which normally can’t be financed exclusively through the Green Deal.

How the ECO is sponsored?

The ECO will be funded and supported by energy providers.

Energy providers obligated under the system will regulate how much funding they provide to each customer. This may depend on customer’s individual conditions and the quantity of Green Deal finance being used.

The ECO is value around 1.3 billion every year. The ECO Reasonable Warmth and Carbon Redeemable Community obligations will provide support and funding worth around 540 million per year to low-income families. The ECO Carbon Saving Obligation is value around 760 million per year.

Green Deal an ECO Funding

The Green Deal is funded by the Energy Company Obligation (ECO). ECO will target and focus the most susceptible households and will provide major energy saving enhancements in all homes which need high-cost procedures like Concrete Wall Insulation which cannot be attained using Green Deal Finance alone. The new ECO program will substitute the previous Carbon Emanations Reduction Target (CERT) and the Community Energy Redeemable Program (CESP).

ECO funding focus three definite groups:

-HHCRO – Home Heating Price Reduction Obligation, or else known as Reasonable Warmth Obligation is intended to provide funding to low income and susceptible families who find it high-priced to heat their homes. Those in receipt of a succeeding advantage may be entitled for up to100% grant subsidy towards home energy efficiency enhancements like loft lagging, cavity wall protection or a new A-rated boiler (if the old one is damaged).

-CSCO -Carbon Saving Communities Obligation is intended to aid protects and insulates homes in focused areas recognized by the Department of Energy and Environment Change.

-CERO – Carbon Emanation Reduction Obligation, the Government has constituted to gratify UK Energy Corporations to provide subsidy to help protect difficult-to-treat walls such as homes with concrete walls or constricted cavities.

This will decrease the cost of installation for all, irrespective of age, salary or benefit power and permit these measures to succeed for the pay as you save feature of the Green Deal.

The ECO was announced in January 2013 to decrease the UKs energy intake and support people living in fuel deficiency. It does this by backing energy competence improvements value around 1.3 billion every year

Energy Company Obligation (ECO) is a government subsidy stream that deals in free allowances towards a comprehensive range of energy saving procedures.

Chiefly ECO Subsidy contests fuel deficiency and improving difficult to treat possessions in both the public and private segment. The installation prices of perilous home enhancements such as lagging and heating are abridged for entitled householders who meet the requirements due to living circumstances and personal conditions (welfares, age and place of habitation). ECO is distributed into 3 elements and consumers will be categorized accordingly.

Sponsorship

The ECO will be funded and supported by energy providers.

Energy providers obligated under the system will regulate how much funding they provide to each customer. This may depend on customer’s individual conditions and the quantity of Green Deal finance being used.

The ECO is value around 1.3 billion every year. The ECO Reasonable Warmth and Carbon Redeemable Community obligations will provide support and funding worth around 540 million per year to low-income families. The ECO Carbon Saving Obligation is value around 760 million per year

Green Deal and ECO Funding

The Green Deal is funded by the Energy Company Obligation (ECO). ECO will target and focus the most susceptible households and will provide major energy saving enhancements in all homes which need high-cost procedures like Concrete Wall Insulation which cannot be attained using Green Deal Finance alone. The new ECO program will substitute the previous Carbon Emissions Reduction Target (CERT) and the Community Energy Redeemable Program (CESP).

Affordable warmth

If you take benefits, you may be eligible to free heating efficacy grants on Green Deal measures such as lagging and new boilers.

 

The Home Heating Price Discount Obligation is a system intended to challenge fuel deficiency amongst private segment householders. The property owners and private residents that are in receipt of definite welfares or on low earnings will be able to access a varied range of subsidized energy efficient measures.

The Home Heating Price Reduction Responsibility aims to reach low salary and susceptible households, primarily concentrating on measures that increase thermal efficacy such as heating and lagging. Social housing residents are not entitled for affordable warmth.

Carbon Savings Community Obligation (CSCO)

If you happen to live in a be eligible CSCO area, you may be allowed to free heating efficacy grants on Green Deal measures such as lagging and new boilers. The new Carbon Saving Community Obligation is intended at confronting the situation facing some of the most susceptible households and those living in regions of highest deficiency. Many people within these possessions are living in Fuel Deficiency, a term defined as when people are spending more than 10% of their net monthly revenue on their energy expense bills.

The Carbon Reduction Obligation (CERO)

If you happen to live in a tough to treat property that is commonly unsuitable for fixing work, you may be eligible to free Green Deal measures such as lagging and new boilers. Subject to technical valuation, this section of ECO funding is presently available to all homeowners and private renting residents.

The features of a tough to treat property can differ widely reliant on the property in question for example:

-Tall or multiple story properties

-Narrow cavity

-Concrete construction

-Metal frame construction

-Random stone cavity -Uneven cavities formed in walls

-Timber frame

-Flat roof properties

-Hard to access roofs/lofts

With the Green Deal becoming more and more popular amongst UK citizens, it has become important to get a seal of approval for a property. Home-owners and businesses that have invested in green technologies within their premises are now trying to get the EPC, also known as the Energy Performance Certificate for their properties.

The EPC Explained

As mentioned, the EPC is the Energy Performance Certificate issued to properties following a thorough assessment of the respective properties. EPCs for domestic and non-domestic properties are different and their assessment is also different.

The certificate is presented in a graphical format, and tells how efficient a building is and what sort of an impact it has on the environment. There is a rating scale from A to G, with the most energy-efficient premises getting the A rating. The higher the rating, the lesser the CO2 emission from a property.

What does the EPC contain?

Besides a rating allotted to a certain property, the EPC also contains recommendations on how the energy efficiency of a home or office/business space can be improved to benefit the environment and also help the property owner save monies. It also contains information about the assessor of the property, which means it will tell you about the person who has carried out the EPC assessment as well.

Validity and Utility

The EPC is valid for a period of 10 years. It is a very useful document since EPCs are needed whenever a property is sold, rented or built. Therefore, if one intends to sell, rent or build on a property, they must apply to get an EPC. Once the EPC is commissioned, a property can be marketed immediately.

DEAs and EPCs

As mentioned, the property has to be assessed by someone before it can be given a rating. DEAs are domestic energy assessors who carry out this assessment and produce the certificate. These DEAs are trained in this task and only accredited DEAs are allowed to produce the EPC document. They are members of a government-approved accreditation scheme. In fact, the demand for assessors has led to several jobs being created in the energy assessment field for this occupation. It is important to search for accredited assessors, and always ask for their ID cards when they visit a property.

The Process of Assessment for getting an EPC

To get the EPC, one has to contact an accredited assessor to visit and evaluate a property. After the assessment, the DEA will lodge the request for an EPC on the national register, together with the rating allotted to the particular property. All energy assessors are issued with identity cards which home-owners should ask for before their property’s assessment is carried out.

The important point to note about getting an EPC is to make sure that the person assessing your property is accredited to perform this important task. If a property owner is not satisfied with the assessment carried out, they can request the assessor to carry it out again.

Overall, by getting an EPC, you get a seal of approval about a property being energy efficient, environmental friendly, and GREEN!

It is a no brainier that our environment needs special attention today, and effort is required from each and every person on this planet. Amongst the several environmental concerns we face today, a key concern that the UK government is facing is that of emissions from homes and businesses, and, needless to say, some action had to be taken in this regard. Hence, the ingenious idea of a Green Deal was born in October 2012.

Under the Green Deal policy, business and home owners will be encouraged to apply more green technologies within their properties. By 2020, nearly 14 million homes and businesses will be retrofitted.

The incentive for home owners and businesses is that they will not have to pay any upfront cost for installing a green technology within their property. The cost can be paid back by the beneficiaries over a period of time through their energy bills. Now here is the catch; this initiative is different from a typical loan, because when the property is sold, the bill goes to the owner of the property and not the bill payer.

Energy-Saving Initiatives you can take within your Property

If you are wondering how to go about it, here are some energy-saving initiatives that can help you meet the green bar set by this policy:

• Insulation, such as a cavity wall
• Efficient heating control mechanisms to conserve energy
• Solar Panels or anything that provides a renewable source of energy within the property
• Double glazing
• Draught-proofing
• Loft Insulation
• New boilers

 

Why Green Deal?

While the advantage of the Green Deal to the nation as a whole are obvious, even property owners get a pretty fair end of the deal. Take a look at how you will benefit by adopting this initiative:

• Anybody can get a loan to install technologies to cut their energy bills, your income level does not matter
• You won’t really feel the impact of the repayments because your energy bill won’t change much. The expected savings from installing the green technology will be going towards the loan repayment, which would have otherwise reduced your total bill. So you only pay back what you had been predicted to save.
• You can benefit from the deal on a number of green technologies, from installing a new boiler to under floor heating
• Your house becomes green and more energy efficient. That is something future home buyers will greatly value
• The loan is not attached to you forever; when you move, the loan gets transferred to the next property owners
• You will have a warmer house, reduced maintenance bills and many happy people living in the house. Now that is a bonanza!

With the Green Deal, you can start witnessing the advantages yourself in no time at all. Over the longer term, it is a win-win situation for both the property owners and the government. It is a very great initiative by the UK government, because a greener UK means happier citizens.

When does the Green Deal Begin?

The Green Deal has already taking place. It was soft launched and announced in October 2012 but a 2.9m Government attentiveness campaign to the common public started in January 2013.

Why is the Green Deal scheme being announced?

The government has to meet severe EU carbon decrease targets by 2050 and the UK lodging stock is one of the main donors to CO2 emanations. Also, the price of fuel is set to carry on rising and as a country we need to confirm we try to decrease our dependence on fossils fuels.

What is the difference between a Green Deal Consultant and a Green Deal Installer?

The Consultant will visit and complete an inclusive thorough assessment of the property. The installer will fix the Green Deal Measures (for e.g. new boiler).

What supplementary training do I need to be an installer?

If you presently have the capability in the measure that is to be fixed (for e.g. Gas Safe for boiler fittings) then you only require completing PAS2030 training course. If you need to install extra measures such as Internal Wall Lagging, you must have the related training and capability. If you work directly for the Supplier then it will be compulsory to complete PAS2030. If a lead worker hires several trades’ people to fix the different measures, only the lead worker requires the PAS2030 qualification criteria.

What are the measures involved in the Green Deal?

There are 45 measures containing Building Material such as lagging and energy effective glazing and doors, Sanitation& Heating which contains condensing boilers and warming controls, Illumination which contains fixtures and controls and Renewable Machineries such as heat propels solar thermal and PV.

Will renewable energy machineries play a main part in the Green Deal?

It is not likely the savings on the energy expense bill will out way the price of the renewable machineries and thus meet the Golden Rule. However, clients do have the choice of adding a personal input to their Green Deal Plan which will permit such installations to be part subsidized by Green Deal Finance.

Which of my clients will be interested in the Green Deals?

Plumbers, manufacturers, Domestic Energy Appraisers (DEAs) and installers of renewable machineries will all be interested in the Green Deal.

The green deal is the United Kingdom government’s flagship policy on energy efficiency within the buildings because UK wants to become more energy efficient in order to reduce the harmful emissions which change and destroy the climate. The Green Deal policy, under the Energy Act 2011, targets to retrofit 14 million families and commerce by 2020. This equates to a decrease of CO2 emanations in housing by 29% and 13% in offices.

The Green Deal will let householders and industries to make energy effectiveness and efficiency enhancements to their properties at no open cost. The Green Deal will improve the energy efficiency of the UKs current abodes and will generate approximately 65,000 new and different jobs in disciplines where training will be mandatory.

What is The Green Deal Golden Rule? 

The Green Deal Golden Rule is the standard which bounds the volume of Green Deal investment that a supplier can ascribe to the energy meter to the expected energy bill savings that are to be expected to result from the installation of procedures under the Green Deal plan. This can be précised and elaborated as follows:-

Principle

The price of the work must be less than the estimated reserves over the length of the Green Deal plan.

The principle target is to keep the energy expense bills at the possessions no higher than they would have been had the possessions been without a Green Deal – this is significant both to defend consumers from higher energy expense bills, and to defend financiers from a higher threat of default on the bill.

With the importance on defending the property holder, the Green Deal Golden Rule will place a cap on the quantity that can be composed in the first year of a Green Deal imbursement to the projected annual savings. This also protects the installers and aids reduce the danger of the property holder not being able to make the expenses. The amount the Green Deal expenditures will rise by during the following years will also be controlled and measured.

Condemnation

The Green Deal has been condemned by a comprehensive range of groups such as Customer Focus, Friends of the Earth and the Smith School of Enterprise. These disapprovals have extended from a terror that it will upsurge fuel deficiency to concerns over the feasibility of the bundled loans as sanctuaries following the alike financial products that were formed from US housing which led to the 2008 financial catastrophe. The building industry has elevated concern about the deficiency of incitement to motivate demand for the acceptance of the Green Deal. Other uncertainties include its inadequate projected exposure to customer protection, its conduct of non-domestic buildings and shortage of competition among providers. Government has established the Green Deal for business has been put on hold for the predictable future. There has also been uncertainties cast over whether the central principle of the scheme so-called “Golden Rule” whereby the price of repayments never offsets the reserves on the bill – will actually be effectively executed. There is also condemnation that it will only help the middle class and not be of any aid to those most in need and the employed class.

The Green Deal Golden Rule is the standard which bounds the volume of Green Deal investment that a supplier can ascribe to the energy meter to the expected energy bill savings that are to be expected to result from the installation of procedures under the Green Deal plan. This can be précised and elaborated as follows:

Principle

The price of the work must be less than the estimated reserves over the length of the Green Deal plan.

The principle target is to keep the energy expense bills at the possessions no higher than they would have been had the possessions been without a Green Deal – this is significant both to defend consumers from higher energy expense bills, and to defend financiers from a higher threat of default on the bill

Aim of Green Deal

The Green Deal targets to increase energy efficiency for 26 million families and up to 2.8 million marketable properties by the year 2030. With such determined development plans set in place, the government has made the Green Deals Golden Rule, which is planned to protect the properties proprietor and act as the firm back bone of the entire system.

The Green Deals Golden Rule illustrates that the energy reserves a property makes in a 25 year period must be equivalent to or more than the price of applying the changes in the first place. This confirms that the property proprietor is not paying back more to participate in the Green Deal than they are redeemable on their energy bills.

PAS 2030 Certification

PAS2030 certification is designed and intended to improve and enhance the energy efficiency and effectiveness of prevailing buildings and sets the requirement and specifications for the installation procedure, process administration and service provision. PAS 2030 is planned for installing, handling and providing energy efficiency and effective measures (EEM) in current buildings. It commends best practice for handling the installation procedure and offering services to the client before, during and after. It also offers measure-specific necessities (including the necessary experiences and education) for each separate type of measure.

The Green Deal and ECO provides enormous chances for PAS2030 installation corporations, though there are certain authorization and acquiescence measures which will need to be accepted by Green Deal / ECO installation corporations.

Firstly, Lead Workers (those Green Deal installers who work openly with a Green Deal Provider) will need to function an effective and efficient quality management system (QMS) in line with PAS2030. Those renewable energy installation corporations who presently function and operate a Micro generation Certification System (MCS) quality management system will be much acquainted with QMS and thus easily extend their possibility to incorporate the PAS2030 standards.

Green Deal Supplier

Green Deal Suppliers arrange Green Deal Plans, arrange for finance, and arrange for the fixing of the decided energy efficacy enhancements through an authorized Installer or dealer.

 

The Green Deal Supplier is accountable for:

• Proposing a Green Deal Plan to clients, based on the recommendations and suggestions from a recognized Assessor Organization such as Quodox.
• Assembling and organizing for the installation of energy effectiveness enhancements, carried out by an authorized Installer.
• Current obligations in relative to Green Deal Plans, comprising dealing and interacting with consumer grievances and giving relevant information when a new bill paymaster moves into a possession with a Green Deal.
• The Green Deal Plan sets out the monetary terms of the agreement and comprises customer protections, such as guarantees, to cover the energy efficacy enhancements and installation. Only an authorized Supplier can offer a Green Deal Plan.

Green Deal Suppliers must operate to a high standard and set criteria. Companies will need to be authorized and stand by certain necessities to function as a Green Deal Supplier.

Mandatory Requirements

• Confirm contact info to be printed on the GD ORB Supplier Register
• Enroll with the Green Deal Regulator and Inquiry Service
• Obtain and return signed the Green Deal Quality Mark and Sub-license
• Agree to the Green Deal Preparations Agreement
• Sign and gain admittance to the GDCC Access Agreement

Realizing the importance of a greener environment to live in, the UK government has come up with the Green Deal to make home energy improvements more affordable and accessible for home and business owners in the country.

Though installing green technologies seems like a costly affair initially, with the help of policy initiatives introduced as part of the Green Deal, making ones home and business property more environment friendly and energy efficient has become much more reasonable.

How does the Green Deal financing work?

As part of the Green Deal (GD) initiative, homes and businesses can get green technologies installed in the their homes without any upfront costs of installing green devices and gadgets, or making constructional changes within the building. The cost repayments can be paid over time through energy bills of the property owner. This is the simplest explanation of how GD financing works.

Will the Energy Bill of a Property Owner increase because of repayments?

No! In fact, the energy bill will stay at the same level as it previously used to be. What happens is that when an assessor carries out an assessment of the property and makes recommendations on making it more energy efficient, they also make an estimate of the savings that will be rendered by installing those green technologies. The savings in the energy bill by installing those technologies will be considered a repayment for the GD loan.

Thus, whatever would have been saved by making changes in around the property is considered a repayment of the loan, and hence, the owner does not feel much burden on the energy bill which stays at the same level. It is worth noting that the energy assessor carries out a detailed and thorough calculation on energy bill savings before a repayment schedule is handed over to the home owner for installing a particular technology. The idea is that savings on energy bills will usually exceed the repayment costs.

Who pays the Repayments and Energy Bills when the Property Owner changes?

The Green Deal loans, as explained, are paid through energy bills. When the owner of a property changes as it is sold or let to new tenants, the ownership of energy bills is also transferred. Thus new tenants and owners have to take responsibility for the repayments, shifting the burden to the beneficiary of the energy savings. This is a new concept in the UK financing system.

When can one start their Energy Bill Savings?

The Green Deal works on a first come first serve basis. So the sooner one starts with the GD plan, the quicker they will be able to see the savings on their energy bill. Various green technologies such as wall insulations, heating control systems, air conditioning improvements, etc. will be suggested, which will benefit the owner from day one in the form of reduced maintenance costs and lower energy bills in the long run.

Who does not want some significant savings in their energy bills, and the Green Deal shows a well-balanced way of doing that.

One of the most touted ways of combating climate change and adopting more efficient means of energy utilization is micro-generation. With this breakthrough revolution in energy generation, the potential power generation of Mother Nature through renewable energy sources is tapped into to produce a source of power at the micro level.

What is Micro generation all about?

What gives micro-generation this distinct name is the fact that power is generated on a very small scale compared to that created in a large power station that uses fossil fuel. Unlike large power stations, micro-generation power systems work on renewable energy sources, with the power being used at the same spot as it is made. Thus, distribution and transmission losses are minimized and hence micro-generation systems are considered to be quite efficient.

 

What are some examples of Micro generation Technologies and Renewable Energy Sources?

You may have heard of some of the popular Micro-generation technologies, while there are some that are not that well known. Micro generation power systems are not only used by large factories and office buildings, but are now being installed in some homes as well.

Here are a few examples of Micro-generation electricity and power systems:

• Ground source heat pumps
• Wind turbines
• Hydro/water turbine
• Solar panels or solar PVs (photovoltaic)
• Biomass
• Air source heat pumps

These technologies are powered through renewable energy sources, including the sun, wind, water, biomass, hot ground water, etc.

Why are these Technologies more Environment Friendly?

Because generating power on a micro level using these advanced technologies does not use the non-renewable sources of energies (such as fossil fuel), the natural sources of earth are not depleted. Besides, greenhouse gases – for instance carbon dioxide) – and other harmful gases are not released into the atmosphere by these systems, thus causing no damage to the environment.

Is there a One-Size-Fits-All Micro generation Solution?

When developing a system for generating electricity at the micro level for a small unit, the solution has to be individually tailored to the needs of the house/office/factory, etc. Therefore, there is no standard solution that can be applied across various homes or business premises. However, customized solutions offered as per ones needs and requirements are readily available for anyone wishing to invest in this technology.

Does the Green Deal support Micro-Generation?

The Green Deal (GD) supports energy-saving improvements for homes and businesses, and generating one’s own power and heat source is one of the measures that can be adopted. In line with the Green Deals offer to home and business owners to adopt green technologies without paying any upfront costs, installing these technologies within ones property is more affordable. The cost repayments – calculated by accredited energy assessors – can be made through ones subsequent energy bills after a successful installation.

Financial incentives and support from the UK government has made it more accessible and promising to self-generate one’s own power and heat energy. Once installed and operational, it is of much benefit to both domestic and non-domestic property owners.

The Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) of the UK has been one of the leading ones in propagating the Green Deal throughout the UK. Here is a look at the functioning of the department and how the Green Deal is related to the department’s core ideology.

What does the DECC do?

The DECC is a department dedicated to mitigating climatic changes and ensuring that the environment in the UK in particular and globally, in general, is clean and safe to live in. To achieve this end, the DECC ensures that the sources of energy used to generate electricity, energy consumption and usage patterns, as well as energy supplies are sustainable and do not contribute to environmental damage. These efforts are not only limited to the UK, but international action to mitigate climatic change and environmental damage is also encouraged by the department.

Energy, Climate Change and the DECC

One of the core policies of the DECC is to ensure that the UK has secure and safe supplies of energy for everyone. This means that significant efforts have to be made to ensure a continuous supply of energy for UK. Policies introduced encourage the use of low-carbon technologies, help reduce energy demand from households, factories and businesses, propagate regulations and licensing of energy infrastructure at the domestic and non-domestic level, aim to manage energy security in the UK, etc.

Besides these, efforts by the department, such as those focused on reducing greenhouse gases and other emissions from transport systems, reducing environmentally unfriendly leakages from air conditioning and cooling systems, supporting international action on climate change, adapting to climate change, etc. are also aimed at improving the climatic conditions in the UK and all over the world.

How the Green Deal supports DECCs Role and Purpose

The Green Deal by the UK government helps support all these objectives of the DECC by encouraging home and business owners to make their properties more energy efficient and greener. By installing environment-friendly technologies within their construction, home owners and businesses will install technologies such as wall insulations, boiler systems, more efficient and leak-proof air conditioning systems, better heat control systems, etc. without paying any upfront costs. The consequent savings on their energy bills will contribute towards repayment of the loan taken to install the advised changes.

DECC Research Supports the Effectiveness of Green Deal

Research by the DECC has validated that even though the number of properties which have taken up the Green Deal are still limited, positive impacts on homes are already being experienced. The DECC surveyed 500 households that had a Green Deal assessment between 1 April and 30 June 2013. The results indicated that the majority of households found the Green Deal to be very useful and about 72% of survey respondents claiming that they would recommend it to family and friends.

By offering the incentive of reduced energy bills and making their properties more energy efficient, the Green Deal is a smart move by the UK government and the DECC to promulgate a positive attitude towards sustainable energy consumption in the country.

The energy assessment carried out on domestic and commercial buildings is not done subjectively at all. In fact, there is a thorough procedure for assessing and evaluating the energy efficiency of buildings and properties. This procedure is known as the SAP – short for Standard Assessment Procedure.

Overview of the Standard Assessment Procedure (SAP)

The Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) uses a detailed methodology to assess the energy performance of dwellings. This procedure ensures that the assessment carried out is objective, accurate and truly reflective of the energy efficiency of any property. A SAP calculation is required by all domestic properties in the UK to demonstrate compliance with standard energy performance requirements. SAP is also used to generate Energy Performance Certificates (EPC) of buildings, which must be available for any building out up for sale or rent on the real estate market.

Purpose of SAP

As explained, the findings from SAP underpin many government environmental and energy policy initiatives. Once of these is the EPC, which is a mandated document to be produced under the UK governments Green Deal (GD) to improve the energy efficiency of buildings. Besides that, it is also used for local authorities stock reporting, assessing compliance of buildings under the buildings regulations and assessing the Stamp Duty exemption for zero-carbon homes, to name a few.

How does SAP work?

There are two main areas that SAP will focus on as part of the energy assessment of a building: 1) the energy consumption of the property; and 2) the level of carbon dioxide (CO2) emission. With these, an energy efficiency rating will be produced. The assessment carried out will be based on the occupancy level of a dwelling, and the comfort level of occupants for the provision of basic and necessary services is always kept in mind.

The following performance indicators are inspected in depth during a SAP assessment:

• Energy use per unit floor area
• Levels of CO2 emissions
• Estimate of appliance energy use
• Heating potential and cooling load during summers
• Fuel-cost based energy efficiency

The energy demand of a property is carried out on a monthly basis so as to assess the energy use more accurately across all seasons throughout the year. A high level of accuracy and reliability is a must as far as the findings of the SAP assessment are concerned, and property owners and occupants are expected to cooperate fully for that.

When should a SAP assessment be carried out?

The sooner the better is the rule for assessing the energy efficiency of buildings with the help of SAP. This not only saves procedural time in submitting the SAP documents to the relevant bodies, but also helps analyze the efficiency of buildings earlier on, which is especially useful for under construction buildings. Thus a cost effective solution for meeting compliance standards can be thought of sooner rather than later.

With SAP, it is anticipated that the energy assessment of dwellings will be accurate, reliable and advantageous in terms of improving the energy efficiency within the UK at a larger scale.