Energy Credits

Calculator:
supporting information


Contents



Supporting information.............................................................................................................. 1
Assumptions and background information................................................................................ 1
1. Dwelling type..................................................................................................................... 2
2. Fabric performance........................................................................................................... 2
3. Ventilation......................................................................................................................... 4
4. Heating.............................................................................................................................. 5
6. Lighting.............................................................................................................................. 6



1
Supporting information
The Energy Credits Estimator, produced by the Building Research Establishment (BRE), has
been provided to the Energy Saving Trust to help familiarise housing professionals with the
potential approaches and features necessary to achieve a range of energy credits within the
Code for Sustainable Homes. It also incorporates a SAP2009 calculation engine so that
designers may gain initial thoughts on the potential design changes necessary to be
compliance with Part L1A as of the 1
st
October 2010.

This tool is provided free of charge and may be freely circulated and copied. However please
note that no guarantee, warranty or support is implied. This tool is based on the April 2007
Code for Sustainable Homes Technical Guidance. Whilst many of the principals and concepts
remain the same anyone seeking to achieve compliance with the Code for Sustainable
Homes should employ a licensed assessor and follow the latest technical guidance available
from www.communities.gov.uk/

Assumptions and background information
The Energy Credits Calculator Excel spreadsheet contains a full SAP2005 and SAP2009
calculator - to provide a simplified Energy Credits Estimator the following assumptions have
been used. This tool will remain password protected so no alterations to these assumptions
are possible.





2
1. Dwelling type
The following areas are used:

Floor areas (m
2
) Dwelling type
Ground First Second
Wall
areas
(m
2
)
Roof
Area
(m
2
)
Four bedroom detached house 150 150 0 260 150
Three storey town house mid-terrace 70 70 70 145 70
Two storey three bed semi-detached
house
55 55 0 158 55
Two bed back-to-back mid-terrace 42.5 42.5 0 46 42.5
Two bed bungalow 100 0 0 120 100
Two bed flat mid-floor 0 55 0 40 0

This Energy Credits Estimator only allows individual dwellings to be assessed, it is
hypothetical, and thus assumes that items such as building orientation and window location
can be adjusted. In reality however, for example with back-to-back dwellings this will not be
possible. Within full Code for Sustainable Homes assessments it is also possible to average
out the dwelling emission rates for groups of similar flats and this is not possible within this
tool.

The living area fraction for all dwelling types is 0.25
2. Fabric performance

Walls, roofs and ground floors
The U-values for walls, roofs and ground floors may be adjusted in this data entry section by
using the provided drop down boxes.
Please note - in the case of the mid-floor flat that changing the U-values for the ground floor
or roof will have no effect.

Party wall
Party wall heat loss is a new feature for SAP2009 and will only affect those results. The
following assumptions are made with regards to the U-values assumed:

Unfilled cavity with no effective edge sealing, U-value =0.5 W/m
2
K.

Unfilled cavity with effective sealing around all exposed edges and in line with insulation
layers in abutting elements, U-value =0.2 W/m
2
K.

Fully filled cavity with effective sealing at all exposed edges and inline with insulation layers in
abutting elements, U-value =0.0 W/m
2
K.

Windows and doors
The areas of windows are calculated as a percentage of total floor area, the user may select a
range of between 8-50% of total floor area using the information provided in the dwelling type
table. The total amount of glazing facing south may be adjusted as well.

The window types available are modelled using SAP conventions and common specifications
- they are modelled within SAP using the U-value, frame factor and solar transmittance of the
unit.



3


Doors are assumed to have a fixed area in each case, they are as follows:

Dwelling type Door area (m
2
) Assumption
Four bedroom detached house 3.7
Three storey town house mid-terrace 3.7
Two storey three bed semi-detached
house
3.7
2 Doors
Two bed back-to-back mid-terrace 1.85 1 Door
Two bed bungalow 3.7 2 Doors
Two bed flat mid-floor 1.85 1 Door

Three door types may be selected including a solid door (U-value 3.0 W/m
2
), half-glazed (U-
value 2.0 W/m
2
) and an insulated door (U-value 1.0 W/m
2
).

Thermal bridging
SAP takes account of thermal bridging at junctions between elements and around openings.
Specific values for linear thermal bridges are not used within this tool and the calculation is
undertaken using an allowance based on the total exposed surface area of the dwelling being
examined. Further details of this methodology are contained within in SAP Appendix K.

Construction detail used Y-value
Not compliant
0.15
Accredited
0.08
EST Enhanced
0.04


Thermal mass
Thermal mass is now included within SAP2009, thermal mass has been modelled using
generic thermal mass parameters:

Thermal mass
TMP (KJ/m
2
K)
Low
100
Medium
250
High
450


Changing the thermal mass has no effect on SAP2005 results.





4
3. Ventilation

Five values for the air permeability are provided, further information on air tightness can be
found on the Energy Saving Trust website
www.energysavingtrust.org.uk/housing/publications.


Air Permeability (q
50
),
m
3
/m
2
/h @ 50 Pa
Buildability risk Recommended ventilation
system
10 Very low Natural ventilation
7 Very low Natural ventilation
5 Low - provided strategy is
adopted
Natural ventilation or
mechanical extract
3 Low to Medium - dependant
upon experience and strategy
adopted
Whole house mechanical
(ideally with heat recovery)
1 High - requires experience and
an exemplar design team &
workforce
Whole house mechanical
(ideally with heat recovery)


Please note that it is possible to use natural ventilation down to an air permeability in the
region of 3 m
3
/m
2
/h @ 50 Pa - however at this point it is generally considered to be more
robust and better in terms for overall CO
2
emissions to specify whole house mechanical
ventilation with heat recovery for most dwellings. An airtightness approaching 1 m
3
/m
2
/h @
50 Pa is not uncommon to achieve Code level 6.

SAP Appendix Q ventilation system is provided as an option, this is based upon typical 'best
of class' with a heat recovery efficiency of 88% and a specific fan power of 0.6 watts per litre
per second. Ductwork is 150mm rigid throughout.





5

4. Heating

The following heating system types can be selected, hot water is assumed to always be
supplied from the primary system using a 150 litre hot water cylinder insulated to building
regulations standards.

Primary heating Efficiency
Notes
A-rated Mains Gas
boiler 91
A-rated LPG boiler 91
A-rated Oil-boiler
93
All boilers are regular (i.e. with separate cylinder),
fanned flue, condensing
On-peak electric
100 Panel heaters with immersion heater for
hot water

Storage heaters
100 Modern slimline storage heaters, with dual
immersion for hot water
Air-to-Air heat pump
250 Auxiliary heating and immersion heater for hot
water included (typical practice)
Ground-to-Water heat
pump
300 Specified without auxiliary heating and immersion
heating for hot water (typical practice)
Wood pellet boiler
88 Regular boiler, HETAS Approved
Community heating
(Gas)
88 Unit charge linked to use, pre-insulated
distribution, separate hot water cylinder
Community heating
(Biomass)
88 Unit charge linked to use, pre-insulated
distribution, separate hot water cylinder
Community heating
(Heat pump)
320 Unit charge linked to use, pre-insulated
distribution, separate hot water cylinder



Secondary heating Efficiency
None 100
Electric room heater 100
Gas flame effect 40
Solid fuel open fire 37
Wood pellet stove 67


Building regulations minimum control types are assumed throughout.

5. Cooling

SAP2009 now allows fixed mechanical cooling to be included within the calculations, for the
purposes of the Energy Credits Tool this is simplified to either 'none', or a packaged
mechanical cooling system cooling 100% of the dwelling with an Energy Label Class (A to G).
Heat pumps which are able to provide cooling are modelled in full SAP, but this is not
accounted for in this Energy Credits Estimator. The mechanical cooling data entry will not
affect SAP2005 results.





6
6. Lighting

The energy credits tool assumes a fixed amount of 30% low-energy lighting for the purposes
of the Part L 2006 TER calculations, this includes the Code level 6 zero carbon calculation.
For the SAP 2009/Part L 2010 results the actual amount of low energy lighting is given full
benefit.

Please consult the Part L1a documents and the Code for Sustainable Homes technical
guidance for further information.

7. Low-energy appliances

No supporting information required - please see Code for Sustainable Homes guidance.

8. Renewable technologies

The following CO
2
savings for renewable energy technologies have been calculated using
SAP conventions.


Renewable
system
Assumptions
Evacuated tube, each collector having an
aperture area of 3m
2


Zero-loss collector efficiency h0 =0.8
Collector heat loss coefficient a1 =3.5
Assumed to be orientated south at 30
o

Solar hot
water
No solar powered pump
1.25m
2
215 watts peak each
PV
Assumed to be orientated south at 30
o

Blade diameter 1.75m
The local annual average wind speed is 5 m/s or more.
Hub height above building is 10m (Dense urban), 6m (low-rise/sub-urban) and
12m rural.

No part of the turbine blade dips below the level of the ridge of the roof;
Small scale
roof mounted
wind turbine
Manufactures
rated output
of 1.25kW
There are no obstructions significantly larger than the building within a radius of
10 times the building height.

Blade diameter 3.5m
Hub height is fixed at 12m
Mast
Mounted
wind turbine
Manufactures
rated output
of 2.5 kW All other assumptions as per small scale roof mounted wind turbine

Blade diameter 5.5m
Hub height is fixed at 15m
Mast
Mounted
wind turbine
Manufactures
rated output
of 6 kW
All other assumptions as per provided 2.5 kW
example.





7
Over shading is assumed to be 'little' (i.e. <20%) in all cases. Please see SAP for further
guidance.

9. Miscellaneous energy credits

All dwellings are assumed to have less than three bedrooms for the purposes for calculating
credits for cycle storage provision.


Energy Saving Trust, 21 Dartmouth Street, London SW1H 9BP
Tel: 0845 120 7799 Fax: 0845 120 7789
bestpractice@est.org.uk www.energysavingtrust.org.uk/housing
CE312 Energy Saving Trust November 2009. E&OE
This publication (including any drawings forming part of it) is intended for general guidance only and not as a substitute for the
application of professional expertise. Any figures used are indicative only. The Energy Saving Trust gives no guarantee as to
reduction of carbon emissions, energy savings or otherwise. Anyone using this publication (including any drawings forming part of
it) must make their own assessment of the suitability of its content (whether for their own purposes or those of any client or
customer), and the Energy Saving Trust cannot accept responsibility for any loss, damage or other liability resulting from such use.
All technical information was produced by BRE on behalf of the Energy Saving Trust



Further information

The Energy Saving Trust provides free technical guidance and solutions to help UK housing
professionals design, build and refurbish to high levels of energy performance. These cover all
aspects of energy performance in domestic new build and renovation. They are made available
through the provision of training seminars, downloadable guides, online tools and a dedicated helpline.

A complete list of guidance categorised by subject area can be found in Energy efficiency is best
practice [CE279]. To download this, and to browse all available Energy Saving Trust publications,
please visit www.energysavingtrust.org.uk/housing/publications or email bestpractice@est.org.uk