Update on Part L & Section 6 Building Regulation Changes
With the impending Part L Building Regulations coming into effect on 1st October 2010, we plan to ensure there is not a repeat of the difficulties faced with the release of Part L 2006, which stemmed from an unrealistic time frame for delivery and lack of available technical information by Government.
In 2010, while we are still dependant on timely and accurate guidance from Government, we are doing everything we can to ensure that our software is ready, our accredited assessors are trained and everyone is sufficiently informed to make the transition to the 2010 regulations as smooth as possible.
The good news is that the New Approved Documents for Part L 2010 Building Regulation were released on 30th April 2010. For your convenience all the relevant documents can be downloaded from the following links:
Domestic Heating Compliance Guide 2010
Non-domestic Heating Compliance Guide 2010
BETA SAP2009 SOFTWARE DEVELOPMENT
Now that the key technical documents are available we can fully commence the development of our new Design SAP2009 software.
The first phase will be the release of our Beta Design SAP2009 software which is currently undergoing testing. It is intended to be available by early June 2010. This will allow users to familiarise themselves with the new SAP2009 calculation and data energy requirements. It will also allow the import of Elmhurst Design 2005 data and calculate indicative TER/DER compliance in accordance with the new 2010 Part L1A.
The Elmhurst Beta Design SAP2009 software will be available on-line Free of Charge and will be accessed via the Elmhurst Energy website. We will notify you as soon as the software is available.
APPROVED DESIGN SAP2009 SOFTWARE DEVELOPMENT
We have now been informed by Government that the approval process for the final SAP2009 software will commence on 26th July, with a completion date of 24th August for all software providers. Please note that only approved SAP2009 software calculations will legally comply with the new Part L regulations. It is our intension to ensure that the Elmhurst software is in the first batch to meet approval to facilitate our users being one of the first to have fully approved systems available.
FEATURES OF THE ELMHURST SAP2009 SOFTWARE
The final version of the SAP2009 software will not only produce calculations and reports to meet the compliance with the new Regulations, but will also include the following changes:
- A monthly calculation of space and water heating (currently an annual calculation)
- The inclusion of space cooling
- Explicit data entry of the thermal mass of construction (currently implicit)
- Revised energy use for domestic hot water
- Revised weather data
- Revised CO2 emissions factors
- Revised calculations of boiler efficiency from test data
- Revised internal heat gains, with a reduced level of gains proposed for design purposes
Elmhurst’s new SAP software will also include additional other new non-mandatory updates with the aim of improving the current functionality, such as Code for Sustainable Homes (CSH) compliance.
In addition to the early release of the Elmhurst Beta SAP2009 software, we are also launching a series of Part L seminars, aimed at people throughout the construction industry who wish to better understand the new regulations.
We will also be providing SAP2009 workshops for those who need to understand the detail of completing calculations and provide updated guidance material to our Design software users in support of the launch.
Not only will this provide all Elmhurst assessors with the opportunity to maximise technical and legislative knowledge, it will also give our customers the confidence to market their business services at the forefront of the industry. Details of seminars and workshops will be published soon.
SCOTLAND
Users working in Scotland will also be pleased to know that the new Section 6 technical guidance has recently been published and can be found by clicking on the link below:
However, a specification for the Scottish version of SAP 2009 is NOT yet available from the Scottish Government. Due to this lack of information Elmhurst will be unable to include Section 6 compliance functionality within the Beta software. In the meantime Building Standards Division have released a manual work around method to approximate the Section 6 - 2010 TER/DER compliance based on SAP2005 calculations.
We will ensure that details of this workaround are circulated as soon as possible in a separate communication. We will also endeavour to keep you informed as to the availability of software for Scotland.
NORTHERN IRELAND
It is our understanding that there are no firm plans to change Part F (energy efficiency) of the Northern Ireland Building Regulations, but a consultation document on a potential change over to SAP2009 may be published later this year. In the meantime, calculations for Northern Ireland Part F compliance should continue using the SAP2005 standard and we can assure all users that this functionality will be maintained in the new Design software.
SAP2009 IMPLEMENTATION SUPPORT
We understand that Regulatory change can be challenging to the industry, especially when everyone wants to start planning what to build but cannot commence with certainty until approved software is available. At Elmhurst we will do everything we can to ease this transition, making software available as soon as possible, keeping our customers informed along the way.
Should you have any queries, questions or suggestions please do not hesitate to contact our Support Team via the Elmhurst Support Portal (ESP), by calling 01455 883 257 or by e-mail to OCDEA-support@elmhurstenergy.co.uk.
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