Guidance

Notice of approval of the methodologies of calculation of the energy performance of new buildings to demonstrate compliance with the Building Regulations 2010 in England

Published 8 June 2022

Applies to England

© Crown copyright 2022

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This publication is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/methodologies-for-calculating-the-energy-performance-of-new-buildings-in-england-notice-of-approval/notice-of-approval-of-the-methodologies-of-calculation-of-the-energy-performance-of-new-buildings-to-demonstrate-compliance-with-the-building-regulati

Introduction

This notice of approval sets out the approved calculation methodologies for calculating the energy performance of new buildings in England for the purposes of regulations 24 and 25 of the Building Regulations 2010 (SI 2010/2214).

Subject to the transitional provisions set out below, when it takes effect, this Notice supersedes the Notice of Approval of methodologies for the purpose of regulations 25 and 29 of the Building Regulations 2010 dated 4 April 2014.

This document does not apply to national calculation methodologies in Northern Ireland and Scotland and Wales, which are subject to separate regulatory requirements.

The notice of approval for calculating the energy performance of buildings as required by the Energy Performance of Buildings (England and Wales) Regulations 2012 is issued as a separate document.

Notice of Approval

Take notice that the Secretary of State, under regulation 24 of the Building Regulations 2010, hereby approves the methodologies listed below for the calculation of the energy performance of new buildings for the purposes of regulation 25 (Minimum energy performance requirements for new buildings) of the Building Regulations 2010. This approval applies to building work carried out in England.

This approval takes effect on 15 June 2022 and continues in effect until withdrawn by the Secretary of State or superseded.

This approval does not apply in relation to building work on a particular building, where a building notice or an initial notice has been given to, or full plans have been deposited with, a local authority, in respect of that building, before 15 June 2022, provided that the building work on that building is started before 15 June 2023. (“Building notice”, “initial notice” and “full plans” have the meanings given in regulation 2(1) of the Building Regulations.) In such cases, the earlier versions of the methodologies may continue to be used.

The approved methodologies are:

Signed by authority of the Secretary of State

Victoria Molho
An Assistant Secretary in the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities

10 June 2022

Notes on the approved methodologies

This notice of approval sets out the ways of expressing the energy performance of new buildings, as calculated in accordance with the methodology approved by the Secretary of State under regulation 24 for the purposes of regulation 25 (Minimum energy performance requirements for new buildings) of the Buildings Regulations 2010.

Software packages and interfaces

When using a software package with the approved methodologies, it is necessary to use only the approved software packages and interfaces relating to them.

The list of currently approved software packages and interfaces for new domestic buildings are available at:

And for non-domestic buildings at:

Please note that from time to time the lists at these links are revised to include new software applications or new versions of existing ones.

Calculating the energy performance of new dwellings

For the purposes of compliance with regulations 25, 26, 26A, 26C, 27, 27A and 27C of the Buildings Regulations 2010, SAP 10.2 shall be used to calculate for the dwelling as designed and constructed:

  • the target CO2 emission rate
  • target fabric energy efficiency rate
  • target primary energy rate
  • calculated CO2 emission rate
  • calculated fabric energy efficiency rate and
  • the calculated primary energy rate

Calculating the energy performance of new buildings other than dwellings

For the purposes of regulations 25, 26, 26C, 27 and 27C of the Building Regulations the target CO2 emission rate, target primary energy rate, the calculated CO2 emission rate and the calculated primary energy rate for a building other than a dwelling as designed and constructed shall be calculated using an approved implementation of the National Calculation Methodology for buildings other than dwellings, i.e. SBEM version 6.1 or an approved DSM.

Approval of commercial software calculation tools

Applications may be made for approval of software packages to form part of the methodology for the calculation of the energy performance of buildings, such as:

  • software applications of SAP
  • software interfaces for SBEM
  • Dynamic Simulation Models (DSMs)

To be approved, the software tool must be validated against a set of published criteria to ensure it operates in a manner and to a standard consistent with the approved methodologies.

The criteria for approval, and the procedures for applying for approval, may be obtained from:

Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities
Energy Performance of Buildings Division
2 Marsham St
London
SW1P 4DF

Email: [email protected].

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