SAP Calculations & EPCs
Calculating and certifying the energy performance of
your self build project - What you need to know
Standard Assessment Procedure (SAP)
The Standard Assessment Procedure is the Government’s method
system for measuring the energy efficiency and carbon emission
rates of residential dwellings.
It calculates the energy requirement for space and water
heating, ventilation and internal lighting. As well as producing a
SAP rating, on a scale from 1-100, it also gives the carbon
emission rate in terms of kg/m² per year.
SAP 2005 has been used as the basis for checking new dwellings
for compliance with building regulations in the United Kingdom
requiring the conservation of fuel and power since:
- 6th April 2006 (England & Wales: L1 Approved Document)
- 1st November 2006 (Northern Ireland Technical Booklet F1)
- 1st May 2007 (Scotland Technical Handbook 6, Domestic).
U-values
The U-value measures how well a building component keeps hot or
cool air (according to climate) inside the building and is crucial
to understanding the amount of energy that is needed to keep a
comfortable inside temperature.
The measurement defines the heat flow through a given building
element. The higher the U-value the more heat flows through so a
good U-value is a low one as you want to keep heat inside the
building or outside depending on the climate you live in.
The U-value physically describes how much thermal energy in
Watts [W] is transported through a building component with the size
of 1 square meter [m²] at a temperature difference of 1 Kelvin [K]
(=1ºC). Thus the unit for U-values is W/m²K.
The Energy Performance of Buildings Directive
(EPBD)
The Energy Performance of Buildings Directive is a crucial
legislative component of the energy efficiency activities of the
European Union designed to meet the Kyoto commitment and respond to
issues raised in the Green Paper on energy supply security.
The Directive is designed to promote the improvement of energy
performance of buildings and amongst its requirements is the
application of minimum requirements on the energy performance of
new buildings and energy performance certification of buildings
through the introduction of EPCs.
Energy Performance Certificates (EPC)
Since April 2008 all new build properties require an EPC. Knauf
Insulation can ease the requirements of SAP calculations and Energy
Performance Certification on your self build project through our
dedicated calculation centre at www.tools.knaufinsulation.co.uk.
This features a range of calculation tools including the only
FREE to use fully BRE approved SAP Calculator, a Model Design
Calculator, an HVAC Calculator and an Elemental U-value
Calculator.
EPCs made easy
Knauf Insulation is the only building
products manufacturer to receive government approval of its own
accreditation scheme for on-construction domestic energy assessors,
enabling us to simplify the process of gaining an EPC for your self
build project.
Rely on our expertise to help
you
Knauf Insulation can relieve some of the headaches of
calculating your project’s energy performance. Visit www.tools.knaufinsulation.co.uk
for a range of dedicated calculation tools - including the only
FREE to use, fully BRE approved SAP Calculator, a Model Design
Calculator, an HVAC Calculator and an Elemental U-value
Calculator.
We also have our own expert team of certified assessors
available to evaluate and produce the EPC for your project. Our
unrivalled levels of technical support will ensure that there are
no hidden costs or delays in achieving the required energy
performance.
http://tools.knaufinsulation.co.uk/
The Knauf Insulation Calculation Centre (KICC) is a set of
online tools deisgned to help with complicated and long winded
insulation calculations. Have a look at some of the comments users have made about the
KICC. Completely free to use, the KICC comprises:
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 SAP 2005
Calculator v2.0
Now approved by the BRE! The SAP 2005 Calculator follows the
calculation methods specified in ADL1A and SAP 2005 documents to
determine compliance of your dwelling with the latest
regulations.
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Model Design Calculator
Use this programme for an initial viability assessment of
compliance. It has been designed to provide this with only basic
information on the proposed dwelling. To comply with regulations,
your dwelling must be tested, and meet requirements, in approved
SAP 2005 software such as the Knauf Insulation SAP 2005
Calculator.
Now updated to assess against England & Wales, Northern Ireland
and Scottish regulations!
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HVAC Calculator
Use this to complete heat loss, discharge temperature,
condensation risk and time to freeze calculations for pipes and
vessels.
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Elemental U-Value Calculator
Coming soon...
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Visit http://tools.knaufinsulation.co.uk/ to
find out more.
