Under sustainability initiatives, all new commercial, retail, public sector, industrial and large domestic buildings must meet a target rate of carbon dioxide emissions under the 2006 revision to Part L of the Building Regulations.  This also applies to extensions of existing buildings where the total useful floor area of the extension is greater than 100m² and greater than 25% of the total useful floor area of the existing building.

To achieve building compliance the actual Building CO₂ Emission Rate (BER) must not exceed the Target CO₂ Emission Rate (TER) established during the design stage.

ESP can work with you to ensure that your building complies with Building Control’s stringent energy and environmental demands relating to CO₂ emissions by utilising the Simplified Building Energy Model (SBEM), through its interface iSBEM.

SBEM has been developed to provide an analysis of a building’s energy consumption by estimating the yearly energy use and carbon emissions of a building. 

The Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG) has developed a Competent Persons Scheme whereby companies have individuals certified for their ability to calculate CO₂ emission rates for buildings, and ESP is amongst the first companies in the UK to attain this certification.

This means that all Building CO₂ emission rate calculations issued by ESP will be accepted by the Local Authorities and Approved Inspectors as evidence that the appropriate requirements from the Building Regulations are satisfied. This saves you from having to employ the Approved Inspector to verify the calculations.

In addition where the future tenant of a building is not known, we can provide advice on the likely fit out, so that the calculation can be completed and the letting agents informed of the M&E assumptions to discuss with prospective tenants / buyers.

Contact us today to ensure that your new build or extension will comply with the revised Part L of the Building Regulations.