How heating is being affected by changes to SAP
The Standard Assessment Procedure (SAP) changes have rocked quite a few boats. Since 2012, it has been clear that moving towards a sustainable and wallet-friendly future is happening, but quite how the legislation will unfold has been difficult to interpret.
As 2019 rolls towards the demanding winter months, it looks like electric heating will be given a much fairer assessment. Here’s a quick guide to the most important SAP improvements and the vital role that electric heating will play.
What is SAP?
The Standard Assessment Procedure (SAP) is a way of measuring the energy performance of a building. It has been regularly updated since being created by the Building Research Establishment (BRE) in 1992, with an increasing focus on reducing CO2 emissions.
Amendments to SAP 10 (2012) are due to be enforced in 2020 and will affect all new dwellings. These include many conversions, extensions, and renovations within England and Wales.
Keeping up with the technology
SAP legislation is lagging behind the advances in electric heating technology. This is not a surprise: the evolution of electric heating has unfolded at lightning pace. Harnessing a combination of tried and tested design, common sense and innovative sensor technology, advanced electric radiators, like our own ULTRAD, offer never before seen levels of control.
The latest round of amendments to SAP 10 recognise that achieving a carbon healthy status is going to require a move away from gas-powered approaches. This means a more level playing field for electric heating solutions, increasing options for developers as well as business opportunities for electrical wholesalers.
Taking control of the regulations
One of the challenges with SAP 10 is that the goalposts keep changing. One way to address this is greater heating control. Until new technology entered the market, homeowners and, tenants, and commercial businesses had limited options about how, when, and where their heating was regulated.
With the latest developments in oil-filled electric radiators this is no longer the case. Advanced thermostats offer high precision temperature control, while the addition of sensor technology allows, for example, the radiators to react automatically to the detection of an open window in the room, or even to whether the room is in fact being used by a person or not (discover more about the self-learning technology in ULTRAD).
Transforming the future
If the SAP regulation updates have shown us one thing, it is uncertainty. This has charged property owners to take action and make positive changes to energy consumption. High quality, cost-effective, controlled solutions are available, and switching to them sooner rather than later enables empowerment within a mist of uncertainty.
To understand the factors that need to be accounted for when calculating energy consumption, click here.
