The government has launched a public consultation on a radical new UK home energy rating system to replace the long-standing Standard Assessment Procedure or SAP rating.
SAP is the government’s current system for assessing and comparing the energy performance of homes. It is used in building regulations, to ensure new homes are energy efficient and low carbon and is used to generate Energy Performance Certificates, which have become increasingly controversial in recent years.
SAP is also used more widely within and outside government, for example in government grant schemes, policy evaluations and to support advice to households on making energy efficiency improvements.
The proposed new energy rating system - called the Home Energy Model - its regarded by some as more suited to the technologies required to decarbonise the country’s housing stock in a bid to achieve net zero.
The Home Energy Model has been designed by the Building Research Establishment (BRE) ahead of the implementation of the Future Homes Standard, which will apply to new homes built from 2025.
The Home Energy Model will be used to set standards for new homes to ensure that they will be ‘zero carbon ready’, future-proofed with low carbon heating and high levels of energy efficiency.
The government has also signalled its intention to use the Home Energy Model to power assessments for Energy Performance Certificates in the long term.
A statement from the BRE says the Home Energy Model is better suited to green technologies, such as heat pumps, storage technologies and smart control devices.
It is designed to work in a modular way to support many different applications where energy performance assessments are required. It has a higher time resolution and can model energy performance for every half-hour of the year, enabling better representation of smart technologies and storage. The consultation proposes that the Home Energy Model will be released as open source, increasing transparency and making it easier for industry and researchers to apply and modify the methodology for different applications.
Gillian Charlesworth, the chief executive of BRE, says: “The introduction of the Home Energy Model is a significant milestone on the road to achieving net zero across the UK’s housing stock.
“As uptake of green technologies increases, an effective assessment methodology which accounts for these changes will be imperative as the Government looks to secure buy-in from homeowners, house builders, and the retrofit industry on the net zero transition and achieve its targets in this area.
“BRE has worked closely with government since SAP was introduced, and we are excited about the potential for ambitious policies and programmes for low carbon homes which the latest version will support. These changes to the SAP methodology will have wide-reaching impacts not only for government, but across industry. I therefore urge all relevant stakeholders to take part in this consultation to ensure that the final design of the Home Energy Model is as well informed as possible.”
The consultation opens this week and will close on March 6 2024. You can see the government consultation here.
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Time will tell if it’s another disaster like the EPC algorithm 🆘 I can bet Labour bring back the big C though 😱😱as soon as they grab power.
Does this move the goalposts again or EPC's. After doing the work to acheive an EPC C rating will everything be regraded so our C's once again become D's?
Probably. Apparently it uses weather data based on where the property is located in the UK. Currently EPC's assume all properties in the UK are located in a town east of the Pennines. Depending if the average temperature of the area is higher or lower than the UK average will affect what result this new software will produce compared to an EPC.
when is the Government going to insist that all new builds have solar panels? That wold be an easy start!
They certainly need to have one new method. Heat pumps, solar panels etc. in fairness every new build I’m seeing now in the Central belt has SP
Even that has it's problems. Solar panels just like windmill blades cannot be recycled at the end of their operating life. Also the current method of EPC assessment penalises anyone who switches from gas to electricity, so if you install heat pumps your EPC score goes down as it does not recognise the supposed energy saving qualities of a heat pump.
Let's hope it does not penalise home owners for things they cannot change - outside walls, location, orientation - but instead recognises the positive measures taken - loft insulation, TRVs, LEDs DG etc.
I've been extremely pleased with the accuracy of all the domestic and commercial EPCs that I've obtained over the last 10 years. Just as with any trade or professional service I've tried a few different energy assessors and now found a couple that deliver me fit-for-purpose EPCs that correctly reflect the investment properties that my wife and I own.
It sounds like good news that our Conservative Government is further improving EPCs, the UK's national measurement system for energy efficiency in all buildings.
Have a day off....
Current EPC's processed by ex shop assistants who have done a 2 day training course to qualify as an assessor are about as much use as an elastic tape measure and I speak as a fully trained building services engineer, with the qualifications and 50 years experience on many well known buildings worldwide, to do a proper accurate assesment of individual buildings structures and services.
Gibbo is off again like a moth to a flame. A bit like Polly Bleat he turns off more than he turns on.
A R S E
Martin, you need to stop the nonsense. You are a lefty fool who is playing a game. It’s clear to see and as no one takes you seriously, you need to stop it.
Triple glazed windows and external doors, two feet thick loft insulation and no cars in new city homes would be a useful start.
If any politicians bring the rating for EPC to a minimum of 'C', they need to do so for all the properties, private, social rentals and owner occupier. However, we need the infrastructure and expertise and proper standardised methods of getting there. Currently, even Sayid Khan's office do not know and suggested cowboy to do the solar panels, which cost a lot of money to whoever went for it. Useless work they did with no knowhow.
I'm pretty sure you CAN RECYCLE solar panels.
Oh God, here we go again. Let's shift the goal posts to keep everyone on their toes. and spending their money.
Martin. It can be done but is not always viable. Some new processes may be on the way though.
Based on some of the cr*p he writes, I think Martin has learning difficulties so maybe we should be more tolerant.
Actually Shane - joking apart - I genuinely wondered if he does
Some landlords are greedy taking £7’500. from the Public Purse for energy improvements to their private property at a time hundreds are sleeping in doorways and camping outside Civic Centre’s in London.
I doubt if many of our fellow landlords have any grasp of how dire the housing situation is. I have it on video and Civic Centres having their doors locked during opening hours to keep them out, you to need an appointment to go there.
We need political leadership and stability. Tenants are of course also getting caught out in all of this uncertainty. As a landlord, what would you do if your tenant comes to you and says they want to see more energy efficiency measures built into the property, and they are willing to contribute to the cost because they will have lower energy bills. Would you not only say ok but also be willing to contribute to the cost? Yes / maybe / never?
See my reply to your original post.
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