As we all know, the devil is in the detail. Ant Wilson, director of sustainability at AECOM Building Engineering Europe, warns that the industry needs to understand the implications of the Simplified Building Energy Model.
After the new Approved Documents for the Building Regulations in England and Wales Parts L (1A, 1B, 2A, 2B) we now have a new Simplified Building Energy Model (SBEM), which has been available since the end of May.

The latest version of SBEM 4.0a covers compliance checking for Part L of the Building Regulations for new buildings other than dwellings. The software is also used to generate Energy Performance Certificates (EPC's). The SBEM model has been adopted not only for England and Wales, but also in Scotland, Northern Ireland, Ireland, Gibraltar, Malta and Cyprus.

The latest version is to accommodate change within Approved Document L2A coming into effect on October 1 2010.

As I said in my last article, however, it is vitally important that we should consider how we can, not just meet the 2010 Regulations, but also how we achieve zero carbon emission buildings.

Various technical changes have been incorporated to change the way the notional building is set up such as the area of glazing, how lighting energy and auxiliary energy are calculated and the incorporation of new carbon emission factors for an extended range of fuel types.

The publication of the national calculation methodology, which defines the detailed specification for the notional building, should have been published by the time you read this article.

The National Calculation Methodology (NCM) modelling guide 2010 and the NCM databases are also available for download from www.2010ncm.bre.co.uk.

It is important that people understand the detail behind these changes, so they can advise on improving the energy and carbon performance of new buildings.

Familiarisation with software tools such as SBEM is essential. Download the new version and understand the implications of the changes for your specific needs.