SAP Assessments and Energy Performance Certificates

Many of us will have breathed a quiet sigh of relief when the new government scrapped the Home Information Packs. At least one sensible decision has been made. But it doesn't mean that selling your home is now a simplified process. Unfortunately anyone selling their home still has to have an Energy Performance Certificate which uses the Standard Assessment Procedure (SAP) to measure the energy efficiency of your home.

The rule which stated that all new homes would need to have this efficiency rating was introduced in October 2008 as part of the National Building Regulations and is designed to allow home buyers to compare the ratings of different homes and buildings.

The SAP rating will be calculated on a scale of 1 to 100 with the higher rating meaning a more energy efficient home. They are most often calculated by using a standard piece of software into which details about the home are in-putted. The details include the size of the house, the insulation levels, the ventilation system, the type of heating and the hot water system.

Anyone building a new home will need to employ a home inspector to issue a full SAP rating which can be assessed through the builders plans and the types of materials used in the build. In this way the SAP rating can usually be given before the building is finished. This is known as Predicted Energy Assessment (PEA).

The assessor will take into account the heating systems, insulation, construction methods and the amount of heat losses associated with these methods. These basic principles can be carried over to all types of home from a flat to a detached house.

A reduced SAP can be applied to homes which are already built. The SAP is issued based on assumptions regarding the time the house was built, the types of construction methods used at the time, the building regulations of the time and how they were applied. It is not feasible for an inspector to rigorously test these methods, but assumptions can be made.

It is accepted that older homes are usually less energy efficient than newer homes as standards of building and insulation have improved in recent years. A detached home will usually have a lower rating as it has more external walls.

An energy performance certificate will often contain information about what the home-owner can do to improve their rating. Steps which can be taken are by having a condensing boiler which can improve a rating by 15 points, adding insulation into the loft and walls and changing windows to double glazed units.

Taking these simple steps can mean that your home compares more favourably to other homes for the buyer. Having a good energy rating is becoming more important to buyers as they learn about the cost benefits of having an energy efficient home.