Energy Matters - Edition 3 - Conference Edition

ENERGY MATTERS 2019 - CONFERENCE EDITION

THE FUTURE OF UK BUILDINGS

MIND THE GAP: THE DAWN OF THE BUILDING PERFORMANCE MEASUREMENT AGE

A REFLECTION ON THE LAUNCH OF PAS 2035.

DESIGN SAP 10 BETA: NOW WITH NEW COMPLIANCE STANDARDS! Energy Matters / 2019- Edition 3

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FOREWORD M A R T Y N R E E D, M A N A G I N G D I R E C T O R

Welcome to another edition of Elmhurst members’ magazine, Energy Matters.

I am pleased to say that 2019 is turning out to be a good year for those of us working in the energy assessment sector. We are benefiting from significant growth in demand for EPCs, house building is at an eleven year high and the government’s efforts to decarbonise the electricity supply are working. There are also some bold proposals to change the Building Regulations in England that will significantly, and swiftly, change the design of new homes, with similar proposals expected for non-domestic buildings.

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Market growth Elmhurst’s DEA members in England and Wales have seen record levels of growth in the last 18 months with lodgement volumes having grown by 31%, which was perhaps surprising considering the lack of national energy efficiency initiatives and a sluggish sales market. The number of EPCs issued in the private rental sector has grown by over 200% in the same period - a dramatic growth which could have three possible drivers: Minimum Energy Efficiency Standards (MEES), higher levels of compliance in the private rental sector, and the ten year anniversary of EPCs (which would mean that some EPCs have now expired).

We’re also excited to hear that the Scottish Government is proposing to introduce minimum energy efficiency regulations for the private rental sector, which will come into force in April 2020.

Low carbon electricity One frequently reported fact is that less electricity is now generated from coal in comparison to low carbon sources such as nuclear, wind and solar. This switch will have a major impact on energy assessments and consequently the design and construction of new buildings as electricity will begin to have a lower carbon factor than gas. The first real evidence of this has been seen within SAP 10 and now the proposed changes to building regulations, which will come into effect in 2020 in England, with similar timescale for Wales, and Scotland in 2021.

New building regulations (England) The Future Homes Standard Consultation, released in early October 2019, presents a proposal from government to introduce a new Future Homes Standard, and to make relevant changes to Approved

Document Part L1a (Conservation of fuel and power in new dwellings) as well as Part F (Ventilation). The government proposes to simplify the guidance presented in both approved documents and also presents its ambition to tighten ‘transitional arrangements’ to ensure that all homes are built to new energy efficiency standards.

Stuart Fairlie’s main feature looks at this consultation in more depth, and further information is also available from the Elmhurst website. Elmhurst has also developed some regional CPD events following this consultation to ensure that members remain well informed and are ahead of the competition when it comes to being ready for the proposed changes.

As always Elmhurst will be drafting a considered response to the consultation, and will share its views with members in order to gain some important insight before we submit anything to government. The proposals made in the consultation will impact both OCDEAs and Air Tightness Testers as well as DEAs through amendments to RdSAP in the following year. The government has yet to release a consultation Part L2 (non-domestic), however, this is due very soon.

One point of reflection is that in our 2019 manifesto we made seven requests and this consultation

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NATIONA

ENERGY EFFICIENCY AWARDS 2019

appears to address at least three of them: 1. All new buildings should achieve at least the level of energy efficiency performance defined in the current Building Regulations.

2. The Energy Certificate needs an update.

3. Ensure the quality of energy assessments undertaken for planning and Building Regulations compliance.

Even though the consultation is for English Regulations, it definitely shows the intent and direction of travel for all the regions and indeed for all building types.

Energy Efficiency Award Finally, I was delighted to attend the 2019 National Energy Efficiency Awards to receive the Quality Management, Compliance & Training Company of the Year Award on behalf of everyone at Elmhurst. As the UK’s largest EPC accreditation scheme, we are committed to delivering the best training and technical support to our members to help them deliver a quality service to their customers, and for this effort to be recognised by our peers is an honour. Thank you to all those who supported our nomination, to our members for working with us, to great products and services and to our staff for their hard work in making it happen.

WINNER

FOLLOW OUR LINKEDIN, TWITTER AND FACEBOOK PAGES FOR THE LATEST NEWS AND UPDATES FROM ELMHURST ENERGY

www.twitter.com/elmhurstenergy www.linkedin.com/company/ elmhurst-energy-systems-limited www.facebook.com/ ElmhurstEnergy

Martyn Reed Managing Director Elmhurst Energy

N T, AN AGEME M Y IT L A U Q IN G C E & T R A IN C O M P L IA N

Energy Matters / 2019- Edition 3

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CONTENTS MAGAZINE

02 FOREWORD 05 DESIGN SAP 10 BETA: NOW WITH NEW COMPLIANCE STANDARDS! 06 THE FUTURE OF UK BUILDINGS 08 A REFLECTION ON THE LAUNCH OF PAS 2035 10 IATS 12 FASTER ASSESSMENTS WITH SBEM ONLINE 14 MIND THE GAP: THE DAWN OF THE BUILDING PERFORMANCE MEASUREMENT AGE 16 WHAT’S NEW IN TRAINING? 18 MARKET DATA 20 RDSAP 9.94 RELEASED 22 ANNOUNCED: ELMHURST’S BUILDING REGULATIONS CONFERENCE!

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FEATURE

DESIGN SAP 10 BETA: NOW WITH NEW COMPLIANCE STANDARDS! JASON HEWINS, ON CONSTRUCTION SUPPORT TEAM LEADER

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ollowing the release of the Future Homes Consultation in England, we have updated our Design SAP 10 Beta software.The difference? Now we know the two options being considered for incorporation into Building Regulations we have been able to model both compliance standards, so you can see how each scenario will impact the design of new dwellings.

This is incredibly exciting for assessors, who will be able to get ahead of the game by offering clients a preview of how their buildings will perform under the new Building Regulations, likely to be implemented in England in 2020.

The consultation sets out two options to uplift energy efficiency standards and requirements: Option 1 proposing a 20% reduction in carbon emissions compared to the current standard for an average homeand option 2 proposing a 31% reduction. Both of these scenarios have been included in the software (with option 2 being touted as the government’s preferred option).

Design SAP 10 Beta is based on the SAP 10.1 methodology which was released in October 2020. At time of print only a few such products are available in the market, which makes using an Elmhurst Approved Assessor an asset to any building project.

In April 2019 Elmhurst was the first commercial SAP software provider to launch an application based on the SAP 10 calculation methodology, Design SAP 10 Beta, allowing members to preview the new data fields required to complete SAP assessments.

Changes included: Fuel price and CO2 factors, Thermal Bridging, Overheating and Photovoltaic Panels.

All Elmhurst OCDEA members receive free access Design SAP 10 Version 2. Simply log in to Access Elmhurst and download the software. If you are not a member with Elmhurst – don’t panic! You can still access the software but you will have to purchase a Design SAP licence, which is available on the Elmhurst website.

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HEADLINE FEATURE

THE FUTURE OF UK BUILDINGS STUART FAIRLIE, TECHNICAL AND OPERATIONS DIRECTOR

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he UK Government recently released a consultation on a new Part L (conservation of fuel & power) and F (ventilation) which includes a new updated version of SAP10.1. This consultation has been tabled as the ‘Future Homes Standard’ setting out a vision towards 2025 and beyond.

Stuart Fairlie, Technical Director of Elmhurst, has been promoting Elmhurst members up and down the country at many industry events discussing what our homes and buildings are going to look like and how quickly this change may occur.

Having made significant progress, Government appears to have become bold in their aspirations. Firstly they initiated the drive for electric vehicles; this accounts for smaller total energy demand than the buildings in the UK (more information available from the Clean Growth Strategy). Following this, we had hoped that this would trigger some thought or action for energy within homes and businesses.

Elmhurst has been involved in various working groups and had encouraged a clear path towards the goal of lower energy and carbon reduction within buildings.

The new Part L consultation (for England) is the first ambitious step in the direction of travel. Whilst some commentators will quite rightly say they should have started this years ago, the ambition is clear to see: no 6

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fossil fuels in new homes from 2025, and a Future Homes Standard that will expect homes to use 75-80% less carbon than current compliant homes.

Theresa May in her final flourish as PM set a very challenging agenda for the UK to achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2050. With this in mind, the 2032 pathway referenced within the Clean Growth Strategy, is now out of date and needs amending to reflect this new target.

Boris Johnson on his first speech to parliament fully supported the new goal, and in fact backed the UK to make the most of this for business as well as climate goals.

And now we sit with a new Part L and Part F on the agenda. A similar timescale exists for Wales. Scotland has long been the trailblazer in

the energy efficiency battle with Westminster and will implement their version a year later. It is not clear yet when Northern Ireland will implement any changes.

The key proposals are as follows: • Four new performance metrics required for new build compliance – primary energy, carbon emission target, an affordability rating (based on EPC rating), as well as minimum standards for fabric and fixed building services (which has been tightened up slightly) • The Carbon emissions of Electricity have now been brought below mains gas • An option to uplift energy efficiency standards in 2020 to either a 20% or 31% reduction of carbon, with Government preferring the 31% reduction

• Every home needs an Air Tightness test and gives CIBSE the task of defining test methods.

• Opportunities for new proven technologies to be recognisednotably Pulse technology developed

by Build Test Solutions after starting life with Nottingham University • More evidence will be required, including a suggestion of onsite photographs – all in an effort to reduce the performance gap.

Elmhurst has already delivered a beta version of our industry leading Design SAP software, allowing members to model homes and help their customers. We are beginning to draft our response to the consultation which we will share with members to both seek their input and to encourage others to respond. The more people who respond, the better the resulting legislation will be.

Elmhurst believes this is a watershed moment for the energy assessment industry. What occurs within SAP and SBEM (consultation expected soon on Part L2) will filter into existing buildings and will essentially drive us forward towards net zero carbon emissions.

THERE ARE 26 MILLION EXISTING HOMES IN THE UK. TARGETS HAVE BEEN SET FOR PRIVATE RENTED HOMES AND BUSINESS. AND WHEREAS SOCIAL RENTED HAS ALWAYS ENSURED THAT THEIR HOMES ARE WAY ABOVE MOST UK HOUSING STOCK, THE PRIVATE HOME OWNERS SECTOR REMAINS THE MOST CHALLENGING.

This will be the next step required, driving all our homes and businesses to live in warmer, cheaper, more efficient homes and buildings! We at Elmhurst have long campaigned for this. We think the Government is getting braver and can’t meet the new enshrined law of ‘net zero’ unless policies and direction get us there. Cue for “Carrot, stick and tambourine!”

The challenge has been set and we are here to support our members to deliver it. There has never been a better time to be involved in the energy efficiency industry and as we have said time and time again “the cheapest form of energy is the one you don’t need to use in the first place”.

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FEATURE

A REFLECTION ON THE LAUNCH OF PAS 2035 S I M O N F L I N T, T E C H N I C A L C O N S U LTA N T

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AS 2035 was launched in June 2019 and it is likely to cause a mini revolution in the retrofit energy efficiency sector that some are finding hard to accept. In this article Simon Flint looks at the activity surrounding PAS2035 during its very short life.

Most will remember that PAS 2035 was a recommendation from Each Home Counts (aka the Bonfield Review) that was published in December 2016. It embraces a ‘fabric first’ philosophy to energy efficiency improvement, requiring that energy assessments are to be the start of the “deep retrofit” improvement plan.

The major aspects of a PAS 2035 include: • Retrofit Advisors – individuals able to give frontline advice to homeowners on what can be done to reduce energy consumption, both by making improvements and changing behaviour.

• A Retrofit Assessment, undertaken by a Retrofit Assessor, which includes an Energy Assessment of the property, an Occupancy Assessment and a Condition Assessment.

• The Retrofit Plan - The cornerstone of the process is a Retrofit Coordinator who will take the output from the Retrofit Assessment (the energy

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assessment, the occupancy assessment and the condition assessment) and document a Medium Term Improvement Plan covering the next 25 years. The Retrofit Coordinator is required to be satisfied that the condition of the property, especially related to ventilation, is appropriate for the building, the occupants and the intended measures.

Only then can the installation of measures commence, sequencing the measures to maximise long term benefit. It is the Retrofit Coordinator who commissions the design of the measures, commissions the installer and acts as the homeowner’s advocate if things go wrong.

• Retrofit Designers will design improvement measures paying particular attention to interfaces (junctions) where multiple improvement measures meet.

Since its publication, a number of significant events have happened.

Firstly Elmhurst launched its Retrofit Assessor and Retrofit Coordinator schemes, and supporting training packages, and more recently BEIS has announced that PAS 2035 is to be a requirement to access Energy Company Obligation (ECO) funding.

This process could be applied to up to 150,000 homes per annum.

ECO is a government energy efficiency scheme in Great Britain to help reduce carbon emissions and tackle fuel poverty. It has made a positive impact but it was accepted in the Clean Growth Strategy that, unless government policy changes, then carbon emissions will be set to rise following three decades of reduction.

Two perceived problems with ECO are that the funding mechanism, and as a result the supply chain, were very much ‘measure led’, with installers looking for opportunities to install their product, rather than considering what measure is best for that property.

Another issue, arising perhaps because of the ‘measure led’ nature of the supply chain, was that multimeasures were almost non-existent.

A property in need of improvement was identified, a single measure (which wasn’t necessarily the best for the property at that time) was installed and then the property was returned to the “pool” only to be fished out again by another installer capable of installing a different measure. Moving to a fabric first philosophy to maximise the reduction in heat demand will deliver better results. Replacing a boiler in an uninsulated house makes no sense; it is better to insulate first and then consider the replacement of the boiler.

Whilst a few ECO installers will struggle to deliver multi-measure solutions, others are seeing this as an opportunity. Elmhurst has run and attended numerous workshops and seminars aimed at surveying companies, utility suppliers and energy assessors and most attendees agree that the introduction of Retrofit Assessors and Retrofit Coordinators, will help ensure that we have a much greater chance of meeting our carbon emission targets.

To learn more about PAS 2035 or to train and be a Retrofit Assessor or Retrofit Coordinator please visit our website www.elmhurstenergy.co.uk

Whilst there will be a cost of involving the Retrofit Assessors and Retrofit Coordinators, the “cost of customer acquisition” will reduce as more measures will be installed into a smaller number of properties, there will be more work in preparing homes for improvement, and, by ensuring that only suitable properties are improved, the cost of failure and remediation will also reduce.

The major issue we have now is a misalignment between the revised process and the ECO funding mechanism. The industry needs to work with BEIS and OFGEM to ensure that the good practices of PAS 2035 are adequately funded.

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FEATURE

IATS

JENNIFER HARTLEY, IATS SCHEME COORDINATOR

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n August, iATS was excited to announce a new integration facility with Retrotec’s FanTestic software, and we have since received excellent feedback from our members.

Retrotec is one of the world’s leading suppliers of blower door fan systems, and its FanTestic software can be used for both residential and large building blower door testing. The new integration facility allows users of the FanTestic software to seamlessly transfer and lodge data into the iATS lodgement portal, thus eliminating the need for manual data entry, and reducing the risk of errors. It also saves time, making it even quicker to produce an iATS certificate.

We are constantly looking at ways to help our members and, as you will already know, iATS is an Elmhurst company. Elmhurst has some fantastic training facilities, and so over the coming months we shall be looking at creating new Continuing Professional Development (CPD) courses for air tightness testers. We will also be creating an awareness course for other professionals in the building industry who want to learn more about air tightness and why it is important. Keep an eye out for emails regarding these courses!

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We always like to hear feedback from our members. If you have any suggestions for further improvement, or if you would like a particular topic to be covered in the CPD courses, please contact us at manager@iats-uk.org.

Within the industry there also looks to be exciting times ahead for air tightness testers, with recent figures from the Ministry of Housing Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) stating that there has been an increase of 8% of new homes being completed compared to the previous year. 170,000 homes were completed in the year ending June 2019, which is the highest number built over the same period in the last 11 years.

Also, on the 1st October MHCLG published the Future Homes Standard Consultation, which covers proposed changes for new homes to Part F (ventilation) and Part L (conservation of fuel and power) of the Building Regulations for England. It is expected that the non-domestic standard consultation (Part L2) will be released in the near future.

The current consultation contains proposals due to be introduced late 2020 as part of the journey to the Future Homes Standard which is due

in 2025. There are some exciting proposals for air tightness testers in chapter 5, which include: • Reviewing the current sampling approach and proposing that air tightness testing should become mandatory for all new dwellings.

• Revising the current approved air tightness testing methodology and passing ownership to an independent organisation, the Chartered Institute of Building Services Engineers (CIBSE) they are already questioning issues such as calibration frequency.

• Introducing an alternative to the blower door test, specifically the Pulse test methodology.

• Encouraging appropriate levels of air tightness by limiting the credit given in the Standard Assessment Procedure (SAP) for energy savings from naturally ventilated dwellings with an air tightness of 3m3/m2.h or lower.

• Accounting for uncertainty in air tightness test results by reducing the granularity within SAP to 0.5m3/m2.h.

It is important for all air tightness testers, and anyone involved in the construction of new dwellings, to both familiarise themselves with, and understand, the proposed changes.

Responses to the consultation need to be submitted by the deadline of 10th January 2020. Both Elmhurst and iATS will submit its own response to the Consultation, which we will share with members.

To help with understanding the proposed changes to Part L and their implications, Elmhurst has released a brand new half day course called “The Future Homes Standard; Proposed changes to Part L and SAP”. This course will help you and your clients prepare for the change in regulations scheduled for late 2020. This course will be held in several different locations across England throughout November and going into December.

Please take a look at the Elmhurst training calendar for specific locations and dates.

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FEATURE

FASTER ASSESSMENTS WITH SBEM ONLINE JOSH WAKELING, NON-DOMESTIC SUPPORT TEAM LEADER

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ince the release of Elmhurst’s non-domestic software, SBEM Online, we have seen how it helps members significantly increase their productivity and accuracy. A significant amount of time and money has been invested into SBEM Online to ensure that the process of modelling a building is as smooth as possible for members.

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The layout has been adapted from iSBEM to be more user friendly, with all tabs following a methodical order and easily located.

These improvements have been incorporated to reduce the amount of time spent on each assessment by minimising the number of inputs and manual calculations. The result is that the process of completing an assessment is much shorter, resulting in the ability to perform more assessments.

SBEM Online allows assessors to complete EPCs faster than ever before, saving an average of two to three hours per assessment as compared to the equivalent assessment in iSBEM. Key Features Elmhurst has improved the layout of the software and put further thought into some key features that we believe will help assessors. Key features and benefits of the software include:

• Plan view has been added to allow a visual of zones entered – this is not a drawing package and should not be used as one, but it does allow a general overview of the layout of zones within a property to check for errors and completeness.

• The ability to perform building compliance checks and EPC ratings within the same assessment – at any point, the software can be told to switch between a standard EPC assessment and a BRUKL assessment displaying building compliance without altering existing values.

• Incorporation of non-domestic conventions within the software – some of the conventions have been programmed into the software.

For example, when choosing air permeability, a short description is shown which displays building regulations and the air permeability that relates.

• Some calculations are performed for you – in some cases, SBEM Online will automatically calculate

values depending on previously entered information. For example, local mechanical exhaust will be automatically calculated when activity and zone height are input.

• Automatic building envelopes – using the plan view, zones can be rearranged and “snapped” into place. Once “snapped”, the zones envelopes will automatically generate with the correct adjacencies.

• No need for manual address searches – the address search function is built in to the software.

Simply enter your postcode and the software will generate a list of potential addresses. This will help avoid the errors that can occur when importing addresses.

• Aerial view is provided when address is input which saves time when collating evidence.

• No annual fees – the software is pay per lodgement, meaning you only have to pay the fee once you lodge. No annual payment and no license fees.

What Elmhurst members say about SBEM Online: “SBEM Online has certainly proved to be a very useful tool for me…It has transformed my workflow from how I used to work. I’m much more efficient now” - Tim Havard - Oakbrook Consultants “SBEM Online is a vast improvement on the generic ISBEM platform. It provides increased visibility of data and versatility and in doing so greatly reduces the risk of errors occurring in reports.” - James Lee [BA Hons], Building Surveyor Plans for the future Developing SBEM Online is a key factor in ensuring the product stays relevant and successful. As our members are our first priority, Elmhurst puts a lot of effort into ensuring these standards are met. As we continue to develop, our aim is to cement SBEM Online as a market leading software for the production

of EPCs and BRUKL reports. Further improvements are planned for the software, including the incorporation of more conventions, a U-Value calculation tool for new build assessments, as well as the possibility of a more advanced plan view.

Coming to terms with a new piece of software can be challenging. Due to this, Elmhurst’s SBEM Online software has been developed to ensure ease and speed of use. To help further, we have set up an online webinar video tutorial on how to use SBEM Online.

This will allow you to familiarise yourself with the functionality and the better more improved experience the software has to offer. Visit the Elmhurst website to find out how you can access your copy of SBEM Online.

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GUEST FEATURE

MIND THE GAP: THE DAWN OF THE BUILDING PERFORMANCE MEASUREMENT AGE LUKE SMITH, BTS MANAGING DIREC TOR

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t is fantastic to see in the recently launched Future Homes Standard consultation (on Part L and Part F of the Building Regulations, that there is ever growing recognition of the design vs. asbuilt performance gap and the relationship this has with building quality, customer satisfaction and occupant health.

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As with the hotly debated UK wide net zero carbon emissions timeline, we cannot expect radical wholesale change overnight. Nevertheless, for Government to be standing up and

so very clearly seeking to make steps to help ensure that what is specified from a building performance standpoint actually gets delivered, is very encouraging.

“The performance gap in new built homes is particularly affected by three major factors: limitations of energy models; different occupant behaviour of each dwelling; and build quality. Poor build quality in particular can lead to a new home not meeting the intended primary energy rate, CO2 emission rate, or limiting U-values and can result in higher energy bills for occupants. As the energy performance of new dwellings is also affected by compliance with Building Regulations requirements, the government is considering it within the broader review of reforms on building safety, design, construction and occupation.�

The Future Homes Standard: changes to Part L and Part F of the Building Regulations for new dwellings, MHCLG

This marries with the ‘Building a Safer Future’ consultation published 6 June 2019 where extensive reform of the regulatory system is proposed, all with a view to delivering a stronger system of regulation and oversight.

What we have, then, is a Government very rightly pursuing a stronger system of regulation and oversight, whilst also clearly recognising the links between compliance, energy efficiency, zero carbon objectives, the performance gap, building quality and occupant satisfaction and health.

What is specifically proposed with regards to building performance under the Future Homes Standard consultation includes: • The introduction of written guidance to help improve building quality and reduce the performance gap • Introduction of a new style detailed Part L compliance report (BREL) • Improved accuracy of as-built energy models, including the introduction of the need for photographic evidence throughout the build phase • Introduction of the need for home user guides to educate occupiers on how they operate their low-carbon homes • An alternative option to the blower door fan test and a revised approved methodology The opportunities this starts to present, particularly for the energy assessor community, are immense. In the first instance there is the opportunity to provide better guidance to customers and building occupants and to deliver a more comprehensive Part L compliance report inclusive of photos taken throughout the build phase. Perhaps most significantly of all, however, is that all this work starts to also pave the way for a greater level of on-site measurement and verification.

Much in the same way that the introduction of acoustic and air leakage testing created new

commercial opportunities whilst simultaneously improving the quality and performance of buildings, there are further opportunities to make good use of time on site to provide additional checks and measurements.

This is being made ever more possible with technologies such as the roll out of smart meters, in-home communication networks and wider communications infrastructure, small low power sensors and intelligent web platforms.

They may not be in regulation yet but Build Test Solutions are working to develop and introduce a whole host of new technologies for measuring factors such as whole fabric heat loss (whole house heat transfer coefficients, or HTC), U-values of individual fabric elements and air leakage under different pressure regimes. Although techniques for such measurements have existed

for a number a years, none have yet been able to break through into the mainstream due in most part to the cost and complexity of the equipment required, as well as the disruption often caused to site teams or occupants. Build Test Solutions are working to address these issues and hope that its technologies will mean that come the next consultation in the early 2020s, sign-off of a building won’t just be based on a few more photos and a more detailed compliance report, but will instead be determined by a very accurate and dependable measurement of as-built performance. In the meantime, we hope to work with early adopters interested in developing such measurement services for their clients or indeed providers of utilities, insurance, warranties or finance where the understanding of true as-built performance can prove extremely valuable.

Luke Smith, Managing Director, Build Test Solutions To find out more about the work of Build Test Solutions, visit www.buildtestsolutions.com

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FEATURE

WHAT’S NEW IN TRAINING? MITESH NATHWANI, TRAINING MANAGER

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he last few months have seen us busier than ever in what has been an exciting time for the industry.

To meet demand, we have put on more courses in more cities than in our entire history. We’ve introduced lots of new qualification and competency courses, as well as CPD training, and not forgetting more online webinars, too.

The upturn in the numbers of trainees both old and new has been unseen since the initial launch of EPCs over 10 years ago, which shows more and more people are looking at the energy efficiency sector.

New courses like the Retrofit Assessor, Retrofit Coordinator courses, updates to software (RdSAP 9.94 Awareness) and the Future Homes Standards course, have helped with the growth across all strands. There are so many new things happening within the industry and at Elmhurst, so please keep an eye out for our frequent email communications and check our website.

Remember, we deliver training at locations around the UK, saving you time away from your work or business and the expense of travelling to our headquarters in Lutterworth. In October we were in Northern Ireland

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for a few days, bringing our new RdSAP Awareness course as well as the new On Construction Auditing Moving Forward course to our members. Earlier in the year we had a road trip up to Scotland, which has almost become a second home for some of our trainers.

We were in the south east, the M25 corridor as well as Wales and the north of England. We’ll be back in Scotland in March 2020, the South East of England in April 2020 across the country between now and then too. If there are any particular cities you would like to see us attend, please let me know.

If you find that you cannot make any of the scheduled courses and would prefer for us to come to you and carry out an in-house course at your place of work, just get in touch and we’ll be more than happy to accommodate you.

Recently we carried out CPD events at a number of conferences and company meetings for an hour or two at a time as well as full 5 day DEA courses at a company’s head office. This works really well when you don’t want the expense of having to pay for a number of your team to travel to us and have

the financial burden of putting them up in hotels and pay for their meals. It also reduces the amount of time spent away from the office and their families.

One of the exciting things we’ve launched in September is our online store www.elmhurstmarketplace. co.uk. We found that we would often get learners on a course who would ask about the products assessors use while out in the field and where they can get these from. With that in mind we decided now was the right time to introduce the Elmhurst Marketplace.

It’s a place where you can get everything from Tri scale rulers, torches and laser measurers to a full assessor essentials pack. Just place your order online and we’ll have your products delivered in a few days or if you’re visiting us on a course or passing by you can just pop in and collect your goods.

thank you to all of our great trainers who take the time out from their families to bring you our great courses.

Again, please keep an eye on our training calendar and website to ensure you do not miss any important energy related and training announcements, and make sure you are following us on Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook. Lastly, if you believe there is anything we can do to make our training even better, please do not hesitate to get in touch with me. All the best for the year ahead and thanks again.

“As always a very informative course carried out professionally by Mark, who showed his knowledge with all of our queries” - Heidi, DEA Conventions

Overall, it’s been a fantastic few months and I’m sure the trend will follow into next year. For those of you who have attended one or more of our courses, or bought one of our webinars, thank you for your continued support. Also, Energy Matters / 2019- Edition 3

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MARKET DATA

Existing Dwellings

M A R T Y N R E E D, M A N A G I N G D I R E C T O R Volume of EPC lodgements on a 12 month rolling basis Volume of Residential housesales on a 12 month rolling basis

Here at Elmhurst we collect and analyse data from many sources in the belief that it helps us make better business decisions. Turning this data into a digestible form takes time and requires a detailed understanding of context.

In each edition of Energy Matters we will provide you with a snapshot of this data, with a brief commentary, which we hope you find of interest and may help you prepare for the future.

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Commentary • House sales spiked in March 2016 on the back of changes to stamp duty and then quickly fell back to a run rate of under 1.16 million. Slight growth to May 2019 has slipped back.

• The volume of EPCs peaked in the 12 months to May 2014, driven in large part by ECO. This fell back sharply to a low of 1.2 Million in March 2018. Recent data shows a sustained recovery to just over 1.56 million, 25% up year on year. A separate review of the “Transaction code” analysis shows that the growth is almost all attributable to EPCs issued in the private rental sector which are up 200% in the last 18 months, thanks to PRS/ MEES and the ten year rule on validity.

Outlook • The growth in the market for RdSAP EPCs is very welcome.

It is difficult to predict whether the two drivers, MEES and the ten year validity, are sustainable and there may be some early signs that growth is slowing, which is what happened with the non-domestic market. It is suspected that MEES has driven up compliance in the rental sector, with landlords, tenants and agents more aware of their legal obligations, including obtaining a valid EPC before a rental property is marketed.

New Build / On Construction

Non Domestic /Commercial buildings

Note: Latest quarter data for Scotland is estimated

Blue: Volume of residential house starts on a rolling 12 month basis Red: Volume of residential house completion on a rolling 12 month basis

Volume of Commercial property EPCs in the UK on a rolling 12 month basis Non residential (commercial) property sales in the UK on a 12 month rolling basis

Commentary • Commercial property transactions haven fallen significantly in the last quarter at an MAT of 122,000, 5% down from October’s 2017 peak of 128,000.

• The surge in EPCs that started in November 2017, which we believe was related to corporate investors preparing for Minimum Energy Standards (PRS MEES), started to soften in August, plateaued for a while and has started to fall to an MAT of approximately 100,000.

Volume of on-construction (new build residential) EPCs in the UK issued on a rolling 12 month basis

Commentary • Using data up to March 2019, home starts have fallen back from their 200,000 peak in December. Completions are now at 204,000.

• The volume of EPCs has continued to rise and is now over the encouraging figure of 300,000.

Outlook • With continued uncertainty in the business community, it is difficult to imagine that there will be any major changes in the commercial property sector. The impact of MEES and and the ten year anniversary of the EPC is well established and should now continue at similar levels.

Outlook • It is disappointing that house starts have fallen so rapidly, especially with government suggesting that house building needs to increase to 300,000 and housing charities asserting that up to 400,000 homes are required every year until 2039.

• With completions ahead of starts for the first time since 2013, “work in progress” is falling and this is bound to impact completions within the next few months.

• The volume of OnConstruction EPCs is at an all-time high but, with new starts slowing, this may now plateau.

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FEATURE

RDSAP 9.94 RELEASED DAMIEN ROBERTS, EXISTING DWELLINGS TEAM LEADER

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n the 22nd September, RdSAP 9.94 was launched in all UK regions (England, Wales, Northern Ireland and Scotland), which introduced two new areas into RdSAP.

Firstly, it introduced the concept of ‘Appendix Q’ functionality for the first time. This new functionality allows special features and specific data to be used in the energy assessment of domestic dwellings and has been used within full SAP methodology for a number of years. Appendix Q allows the methodology (SAP and now RdSAP) to make use of the characteristics of technologies that are not adequately dealt with within previous versions of the assessment methodology.

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In recent years it has become apparent that new and more innovative technologies are being installed in existing domestic dwellings. These technologies can come in many forms, such as new types of insulation or solar assisted heat pumps, which currently cannot be easily modelled in RdSAP. The introduction of Appendix Q will mean that when an assessor encounters one of these technologies, they will now be able to select it from the approved list in the database provided by the Buildings Research

Establishment (BRE). Having this as part of the assessment will increase the accuracy of the EPC and improve consumer confidence that they have a quality certificate.

This is especially important to Government, notably the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS), which is very keen to promote innovation in energy efficiency, and clearly want proven innovation to be dealt with via the national calculation methodology for existing homes (RdSAP).

When the next change to SAP methodology occurs, any Appendix Q technologies will be included within the main methodology; so Appendix Q is effectively a placeholder for proven innovative technologies. This is a good idea, and encourages innovation and allows effective energy efficiency technologies to be reflected quickly within RdSAP (and SAP), without having to wait a number of years before the main methodology changes.

Secondly, the government’s around the UK approved the update and has also added additional questions based around the lodgement of previous EPCs at assessed dwellings.

Once the assessor has answered these questions, if an EPC already exists on the dwelling being assessed, they will then have to declare why they are lodging another EPC. There is now a

set of predefined answers for them to select from, such as ‘EPC has expired’ and ‘Assessor instructed to produce a new EPC upon request from building owner/tenant/landlord after confirming to the requestor that a valid EPC already exists’.

Government are very clear that some EPCs exist on the register that shouldn’t, especially where errors have been made and they haven’t been made ‘not for issue’. The introduction of these checks should help ensure that energy assessors and their customers are aware of the presence of previous EPCs. The Government has put the EPC at the heart of all goals and ambitions for our housing stock over the coming years, in terms of climate change and energy efficiency. This is something that Elmhurst has advocated for and we

support our members to create EPCs that are fit for purpose in order to meet these challenges. The introduction of RdSAP 9.94 (the seventh major amendment since its inception in 2007), gave us the opportunity to make improvements to our online software. At Elmhurst we want to ensure our members get the most out of our RdSAP software. Our accredited assessors will now be able to move through the sections more efficiently with an improved interactive interface and a responsive layout. There is also the opportunity to view more data such as the environmental impact of the dwelling being assessed, prior to lodging the EPC. All of these changes, we hope, add quality to the overall process of producing EPCs.

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FEATURE

ANNOUNCED: ELMHURST’S BUILDING REGULATIONS CONFERENCE!

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lmhurst invites housing and energy professionals to join us at our much-awaited Building Regulations Conference, taking place Tuesday 10th December at Welford Road Stadium, Leicester. This event will provide a spotlight on the recently released Future Homes Standard Consultation which introduces proposed changes to approved document Part L (fuel and power) and Part F (ventilation).

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Elmhurst Directors will be joined by key industry figures to present talks on the future of building regulations and the impact of potential changes.

Confirmed speakers include those from BRAC (Building Regulations Advisory Committee), with more to be confirmed alongside a full agenda.

The impact of the proposed Future Homes Standard is expected to be farreaching, as the government attempts to deliver its commitment to achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2050.

Most affected will be On Construction assessors and those who work closely with building compliance, who will see significant changes in how buildings achieve compliance going forward.

Why should I attend?

The Conference is relevant to energy assessors across all strands (DEAs, OCDEAs, air tightness testers and NDEAs), and we encourage you to engage with the Consultation in whatever way you can to ensure that you are aware of the proposals being put forward.

For OCDEAs this is an opportunity to find out how the government’s new proposals will impact your assessments and to discover the upcoming opportunities. New and existing homes account for approximately 20% of UK carbon emissions; the conference explores how energy assessors will play a crucial role in delivering the government’s commitment to achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2050.

Throughout the day you will hear from Elmhurst Directors and industry professionals, who will be providing a unique insight into the new proposed changes.

Domestic Energy Assessors (DEAs) will gain an understanding of the proposed changes to Part L and the likely changes to RdSAP. The day provides an opportunity to network

with other Elmhurst members and pose your own questions to speakers and members of the technical team.

Non-Domestic Assessors will be aware that the Building Regulations for the Non-Domestic sector are expected to be consulted on shortly. Therefore the Conference will provide a background to current and upcoming energy efficiency policies shaping future regulations.

Consultation Background On the 27th June the UK became the first major economy to pass a net zero emissions target into law. The 2050 target is an ambitious one and government is keen to reduce emissions quickly. Both new and existing homes account for approximately 20% of UK carbon emissions and although much has already been done in this area to reduce emissions (introduction of the Clean Growth Strategy, Minimum Energy Efficiency Standards etc.), it is evident that more is needed.

The Future Homes Standard Consultation presents a proposal from government to introduce a new Future Homes Standard, and to make relevant changes to Approved Document Part L1a (Conservation of fuel and power in new dwellings) as well as Part F (Ventilation).

The government proposes to simplify the guidance presented in both approved documents and also presents its ambition to tighten ‘transitional arrangements’ to ensure that all homes are built to new energy efficiency standards.

The Future Homes Standard consultation will impact a number of industry stakeholders including: new build energy assessors, airtightness testers, property developers, property owners and occupiers, construction professionals, construction suppliers, environmental organisation, and local authorities.

Book your place: You can book your place by visiting the training calendar on the Elmhurst website. The day will run from 10:30am – 3:30pm (registration from 10am).

Lunch and refreshments will be served throughout the day.

The conference is taking place at Welford Road Stadium in Leicester (home of the Leicester Tigers) with overnight accommodation located nearby.

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Up d

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Get a head start with

Design SAP 10 Beta Now includes the two proposed compliance standards!

Get an indication of compliance Ideal for SAP assesors and house builders Preview data inputs for SAP 10

Available free of charge when you purchase a Design SAP licence.

More information available on the Elmhurst website.

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