We are in the era of carbon reduction where climate change is an issue and we all need to be doing what we can to reduce our carbon footprints.
The rise in awareness of environmental issues has led the UK government to implement measures to analyse the situation.
This article will discuss one of these measures...
the Standard Assessment Procedure (SAP).
What is the SAP? The SAP is the governments preferred method of calculating the energy ratings and CO2 emissions of residential properties.
It has been developed to allow demonstration of compliance with certain rules and regulations, namely the Building Regulations Approved Document L1A (New Dwellings), and Approved Document L1B (Existing Dwellings).
What does it measure? The SAP looks at several different energy functions of a residential building.
Primarily, it uses methods to measure the average annual energy costs for space heating, water heating, and more recently, lighting.
From these measurements it is also possible to calculate the CO2 emissions of a given household.
Why is there a need for it? The SAP can provide the government with valuable information about the energy efficiency of properties.
As new ways of reducing CO2 emissions are hotly pursued by governments across the world there is a need to gather data.
This data provides information on the scale of environmental issues and energy usage.
With this information, governments can launch new initiatives, implement new rules and regulations, and penalise properties that do not comply with the current regulations.
How is the data collected? In the simplest possible terms, there are energy scores taken for each aspect of the SAP analysis.
These scores then give an overall home energy rating.
From this rating calculations can be made about the current Dwelling Emission Rate (DER) and can be enforced to achieve a Target Emission Rate (TER) for the future.
Properties need to be equal to or have better emissions than the TER to show compliance.
Does the procedure change? Yes, quite regularly.
The SAP is an ever evolving assessment tool for the simple reason that procedures and regulations are ever evolving too.
Since it was introduced in 1995, the SAP has been updated four more times (in 1998, 2001, 2005 & 2009).
The latest version is likely the most accurate, as it now measures monthly energy costs as well as annual costs.
When do I need to implement the SAP? If you own a construction company or are building an extension or carrying out other work on your home, then you will need to do a SAP calculation to ensure that your home is compliant with the regulations.
However, many people use SAP calculations to personally decide where they could save on energy costs.