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Did you know that almost 7 million new homes were built in the United States of America over the past decade? An SAP calculation is an important part of the process when you decide that you want new builds for your home. Building a new home is a very exciting time in your life, but you need to be aware of what SAP calculations are and the purpose that they serve.
New build homes require SAP calculations to be conducted as a way to determine how efficient your new construction will be when it comes to energy consumption. The good news is that you’ve come to the right place to learn more about SAP calculations and how they’ll work with your new home.
Continue reading to learn everything you need to know about SAP calculations and new builds.
What Are SAP Calculations for New Builds?
If you’ve considered building a new home then you’ve likely encountered something called SAP calculations. They might seem a bit overwhelming, but they’re important to the home building process and they help the environment.
SAP stands for “Standard Assessment Procedure” and is a method of the government to determine the energy performance of a new building or home. These assessments are only relevant for residential buildings. Commercial buildings are exempt. The SAP calculations encompass two different metrics.
The first metric that makes up the SAP calculations is Dwelling Emissions Rate. The other factor that is calculated is the Dwelling Fabric Energy Efficiency. These two factors need to be lower than the rate that the government sets for residential buildings in order to pass code. To learn more, check out Sap.energysmartworld.co.uk.
Why You Need SAP Calculations
SAP calculations are required by all of the parts that make up Great Britain and they’re very important if you plan on building a new home. The documents related to the SAP calculations are related to the amount of fuel and power that your home will require in order for you to live there.
The regulations that make up the SAP calculations are changing as technologies continue to change, so there is no set standard in place. It is important that you get your SAP calculations completed so that you’re able to get your Energy Performance Certificate.
Without your Energy Performance Certificate, you won’t be legally able to sell or rent out your property. There is a grading scale to which residential properties are subject. The worst rating a home gets on the scale is “G”, which means it has the worst performance. “A” is the best rating a home will get on the grading scale.
These grading scales apply to two separate things. The first thing is the energy efficiency rating of your new build. The other thing your new build is graded on is the environmental impact it has on the area around it.
How Are SAP Calculations Completed?
There are a number of things that go into determining the SAP calculations for a new build. You’ll need to know the floorplan as well as the elevations of your home. You’ll also need to have the site plans and the type of insulation that you’re using on your new build homes.
From there, you’ll need to account for the heating system you prefer to use and how you plan to get hot water for your home. Investing in low-energy lighting is another great way to ensure that your new build grades out well.
Different New Build SAP Calculations
There are two different reports that come with SAP calculations for new builds. The first is called the design stage report and the second report is the as built report. Here is a closer look at each type of report.
Design Stage Report
For a design stage report, the SAP calculations begin before construction starts. The people helping with your SAP calculations will assess and approve the construction details of your new builds. This includes the floorplan and site details.
From there, the data that gets collected is input into a computer program that calculates the TER and TFEE rates of your building plan for your new home. This software’s job is to determine if the new home is compliant with DER and DFEE rates required.
Once all of these steps are completed, you’ll receive a predicted energy assessment for the home that you plan to build.
As Built Report
As Built reports are different from design stage reports because they’re conducted after the building is completed. From there, the construction details are reassessed with the final details included in the equation. An example of a detail that gets added into the final report is your home’s airtightness scores.
This final report gets used for getting the Energy Performance Certificate for your new builds.
What Happens if My New Home Fails?
It is illegal for you to rent or sell a property that doesn’t have an Energy Performance Certificate so it is critical that your new build passes the Standard Assessment Procedure part of the EPC process. A wise move is to arrange your SAP calculations before the building process gets started.
This allows you to have some margin for error. If the home fails to meet the required statistics a professional company will help you find ways to make your home more efficient and improve your odds of passing the SAP calculations. This is much more expensive to do if you’ve already started the building process.
Get Your SAP Calculations Today
Getting SAP calculations for new builds is a vital part of the building process. It helps to certify that your home is good on energy and has a low impact on the environment around it. You’ll need to get an SAP calculation that scores about “F” or “G” in order for your home to pass the inspection and receive the Energy Performance Certificate.
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