SBEM Ratings

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The new Part L2 Conservation of Fuel and Power in new buildings other than dwellings Building Regulations came into force April 2006. To fall in line with the EU Energy Performance in Buildings Directive the new L2, Part F (Northern Ireland) and Section 6 (Scotland) documents requires a major change in the way buildings are to be assessed for compliance with energy efficiency and carbon emission standards.

Part L2 divides into five separate criteria to be met, noting that some of the criteria are interdependent with each other:

Criterion 1 – Achieving an Acceptable Building CO₂ Emission Rate
Criterion 2 – Limits on Design Flexibility
Criterion 3 – Limiting the Effects of Solar Gains in summer
Criterion 4 – Quality of Construction and Commissioning
Criterion 5 – Providing Information (for the building operator)

Criterion one requires the proposed building to be modelled and simulated using an accredited software tool to evaluate the carbon emission from a “notional building”, of the same geometry and function as the actual building (using the National Calculation Method Database). An improvement factor is then applied to establish a target emission rate (TER) against which the actual design Building Emission Rate (BER) must equal or better. This requirement may be fulfilled utilising the iSBEM tool from the BRE. Assessments are carried out by consultants who are registered as “competent persons” under BRE Certification Limited.

sbem ratings for non-domestic buildings to achieve Building Regulation Part L compliance

SBEM Ratings for Non-Domestic Buildings to achieve Building Regulations Part L compliance

The energy use within non-domestic buildings accounts for approximately 18% of UK carbon emissions. The 2006 revision of the Part L2A Building Regulations stipulated an improvement factor of between 23.5 and 28% over 2002 standards for the energy performance of new buildings, depending on their ventilation strategy. These figures included a potential 10% contribution from Low or Zero Carbon (LZC) technologies to help meet these targets. Some councils have also set their own mandatory requirements for the incorporation of LZC technologies into new buildings. It is anticipated that the forthcoming revision to the Part L2 Regulations will stipulate a 30% contribution from LZC technologies.

Information about location, built form and building service etc are required at design stage to assess the potential performance of the building. Careful co-ordination is required between the whole project team to ensure that the proposed design will meet the Target Emissions Rate (TER). Informed decision making at the beginning of the program may result in reduced costs e.g. specifying practical levels of insulation and carefully assessing the benefits of more efficient building services.

Calculations carried out for Building Regulations compliance also form the basis of the calculations for an Energy Performance Certificate. This can only be produced by an accredited consultant on CLG approved software. Unlike the Building Regulations stipulations there is no minimum performance requirement specified by the EPC. The certificate will merely highlight the potential performance of the dwelling as designed and how this compares with others within the national stock. It is also important to note that whilst the notional building for Building Regulations compliance utilises the same ventilation strategy as the actual building, the notional building used for EPC calculations will always be naturally ventilated. It will therefore be more onerous to achieve a high rating, i.e. A band, when designing an air conditioned building than a naturally ventilated alternative.

SBEM - Required Information Check Sheet