An overhaul of the home energy rating system would see long-standing SAP ratings scrapped as the government considers a radical new approach.
A public consultation has been launched on the new energy rating system which is hoped to replace the current Standard Assessment Procedure – or SAP rating.
Called the Home Energy Model, the proposed system will be better aligned with new technologies such as heat pumps, storage technologies and smart control devices being used to decarbonise houses in line with the UK’s 2050 net zero target.
The new model is also expected to be used to calculate Energy Performance Certificates (EPCs).
Designed by the Building Research Establishment (BRE), it will set standards to ensure new homes are ‘zero carbon ready’, with low carbon heating and high energy efficiency.
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The move comes in advance of the Future Homes Standard, which will apply to all new homes built from 2025 and requires all new homes to reduce their carbon emissions by 75%.
BRE chief executive Gillian Charlesworth said introducing the Home Energy Model would be a “significant milestone” to achieving net zero across the UK’s housing stock.
“As uptake of green technologies increases, an effective assessment methodology which accounts for these changes will be imperative as the government looks to secure buy-in from homeowners, house builders, and the retrofit industry on the net zero transition and achieve its targets in this area,” she commented.
“BRE has worked closely with government since SAP was introduced, and we are excited about the potential for ambitious policies and programmes for low carbon homes which the latest version will support.”
The consultation also proposes that the new model will be released as open source, allowing industry and researchers to use the methodology in other areas. It closes on March 6 2024.
