Design Standards and Calculation Tools

Code for Sustainable Homes (CSH)

In April 2007 the CSH replaced Ecohomes for the assessment of new housing in England.  Since 1 May 2008 it is mandatory for all new homes to have a CSH rating.  The CSH is an environmental assessment method, which uses a 1 to 6 star rating system to communicate the overall sustainability performance of the new home. It rates homes in 7 key areas: energy, materials, waste, water, ecology and management. There are minimum standards for energy and water use at each level.  Further information and some guidance documents can be found here

BREEAM

BRE Environmental Assessment Method (BREEAM) is a voluntary measurement rating for green buildings established in the UK by the Building Research Establishment (BRE).  BREEAM is a tool that allows the owners, users and designers of buildings to review and improve environmental performance throughout the life of a building. It is a widely accepted and respected scheme that sets a benchmark for environmental performance and provides a wide range of benefits.  BREEAM was established in 1990 as a tool to measure the sustainability of new non-domestic buildings in the UK.  It has been updated regularly in line with UK building regulations. Further information and some guidance documents can be found here

SAP

The Standard Assessment Procedure (SAP) is the UK's methodology for calculating the energy performance of dwellings. SAP calculations are a necessary part of meeting building regulations requirements.  These calculations are based on the energy balance, taking into account thermal insulation of the building fabric, ventilation characteristics, control of the heating system(s), solar gains through openings of the dwelling, the fuel used and the use of renewable energy technologies.

The calculation is independent of occupancy related factors and ratings are also not affected by the geographical location, so a given dwelling has the same rating in all parts of the UK.

The present edition is SAP 2005 (previous editions have different point scoring scales). Further info and technical specification of SAP can be found here

SBEM

SBEM is the equivalent of SAP for non-domestic buildings. SBEM is a computer program that provides an analysis of a building's energy consumption. SBEM calculates the monthly energy use and carbon dioxide emissions of a building, dependant on the building geometry, construction and use of Heating, Ventilation and Air-Conditioning (HVAC) and lighting equipment. SBEN complies with the recent European CEN Standards. Details of the calculation method, the algorithms used and the assumptions made are provided in the SBEM Technical Manual, available for Download here

The PassivHaus Planning Package (PHPP)

The PassivHaus Planning Package (PHPP) is a design tool produced by the PassivHaus Intitut Germany and distributed in the UK by BRE for use by architects and designers. 

It contains a series of tools for calculating energy balances, designing comfortable ventilation, calculating the heat load, summer comfort calculations, and many other useful tools for reliable design of PassivHaus dwellings.

It can be obtained here

Accredited Construction Details (ACDs)

Accredited Construction Details (ACDs) have been published by DCLG to help construction professionals achieve the standards required to comply with the energy efficiency requirements of the Building Regulations Part L and cover issues relating to insulation continuity and airtightness in particular.  The documents can be obtained here