RdSAP principles

Concepts of RdSAP Dwelling Types Building Parts Dimensions Age Bands Habitable Rooms

Dwelling Types Dwelling Type House Bungalow Flat Maisonette Park Home Built Form Detached Semi-detached Mid-terrace End-terrace Enclosed mid-terrace Enclosed end-terrace

Building Parts For simplicity of data entry the dwelling is divided into ‘main dwelling’ and ‘extensions’ Extensions may not be extensions in the conventional sense of the word, so we describe them as ‘parts’

Building Parts A building part: has only one roof type has only one floor type was entirely built in one age band

Building Parts

Building Parts 2 building parts (main + ext 1) 100mm insulation suspended floor suspended floor Age band A (pre 1900) Age band A (pre 1900) 2 building parts (main + ext 1)

Building Parts 2 building parts (main + ext 1) 100mm insulation suspended floor suspended floor Age band C (1930-1949) Age band A (pre 1900) 2 building parts (main + ext 1)

Building Parts 2 building parts (main + ext 1) 100mm insulation solid floor suspended floor Age band A (pre 1900) Age band A (pre 1900) 2 building parts (main + ext 1)

Building Parts 1 building parts (main only) 100mm insulation Age bands – many things stem from age band. For example, suspended floor suspended floor Age band A (pre 1900) Age band A (pre 1900) 1 building parts (main only)

Dimensions Once the dwelling is divided into parts, each storey of each part is defined by 4 dimensions each

Dimensions Internal or external (but not both!) 4 components: Area Storey Height Exposed Perimeter Party Wall

Dimensions: ‘Heated envelope’ Porches Include if heated by fixed heating devices Exclude if unheated and external (i.e. protruding from external wall) or thermally separated from dwelling

Dimensions: ‘Heated envelope’ Conservatories Include unless separated from dwelling by wall with exterior grade doors and windows Exclude if separated as above

Dimensions: ‘Heated envelope’ Store / utility rooms Exclude if only accessible from outside of the dwelling Include if directly accessible from the occupied part of the dwelling

Age Bands Age bands are key to RdSAP, as they are the basis of a variety of assumptions about the performance of the dwelling

Age Bands Record per part England & Wales Scotland Northern Ireland Park Homes Pre 1900 before 1900 n/a 1900 - 1929 1930 - 1949 1950 - 1966 1950 - 1964 1950 - 1973 1967 - 1975 1965 - 1975 1974 - 1977 1976 - 1982 1976 - 1983 1978 - 1985 Before 1983 1983 - 1990 1984 - 1990 1986 - 1991 1983 - 1995 1991 - 1995 1992 - 1998 1992 - 1999 1996 - 2002 1999 - 2002 2000 - 2006 1996 - 2005 2003 - 2006 2003 - 2007 2007 – 2011 2008 - 2011 2007 – 2013 2006 onwards 2012 onwards 2014 onwards A before 1900 B 1900 - 1929 C 1930 - 1949 D 1950 - 1966 E 1967 - 1975 F 1976 - 1982 G 1983 - 1990 H 1991 - 1995 I 1996 - 2002 J 2003 - 2006 K 2007 - 2011 L 2012 onwards Record per part Build NOT refurb date (unless uninhabitable before refurb) (Slightly different in devolved nations)

Age Bands Critical – software makes assumptions about thermal values based on age Seek information from: Occupier / agent Documentary evidence Property style Building regs-related features

Habitable rooms Habitable rooms are another peculiar RdSAP concept, and are used to make assumptions about the proportion of the home is that is a ‘living’ area, which informs how it is heated

Habitable rooms RdSAP needs a simple count Always included in the count: Living rooms Sitting rooms Dining rooms Studies Bedrooms

Habitable rooms Always excluded from the count: Utility rooms Bathrooms / WCs Cloakrooms Halls / Landings / Stairways En-suite

Habitable rooms: kitchen Include if there is space for a table and 4 chairs Otherwise exclude

Habitable rooms: divisions Open plan areas one room Rooms divided by a doorway where door temporarily removed - architrave present and hinge holes not filled in two rooms

Heated habitable rooms RdSAP needs a second simple count A heated habitable room is a habitable room with a fixed heat emitter

Construction and insulation How to enter walls, floors, roofs

Wall construction Construction types: Cavity Solid brick Timber framed System built Sandstone Granite or whinstone Cob Park home wall (park home only)

Wall insulation Insulation types: As built Unknown Internal External Filled cavity Filled cavity + internal Filled cavity + external

Wall insulation Wall and insulation thickness must also be measured Around window reveals usually best place

Roof construction Flat Pitched, access Pitched, no access to loft Pitched (thatch) Other dwelling above Same dwelling above Pitched, sloping

Roof insulation Position of insulation: Rafters Joists Unknown None Flat roof insulation Sloping ceiling insulation Insulation thickness also recorded

Floor construction Suspended timber Suspended-not timber Solid Separate entries required for main part and any extensions

Floor insulation Unknown As-built Retro-fitted Insulation thickness if known

RdSAP Space Heating How to enter details of the heating and hot water system

RdSAP allows 2 main and 1 secondary heating system to be entered, if required Main Heating 1 is the one which heats living area

Main Heating Systems Most common are: Boiler and radiators Electric storage heaters

Boilers Typically a central boiler and a circuit of pipe work distributing hot water to a number of radiators Can be gas, oil , LPG or biomass fuelled Several types with widely differing efficiencies ‘Wet’ underfloor heating becoming more common

Room Heaters Gas fires Open fires Closed fires (stoves) Usually secondary heating systems

Boiler Type Regular boiler Combination boiler Condensing regular boiler Condensing combi boiler CPSU Back boiler Range cooker boiler Micro-CHP

Flue Type combinations Open flue Open flue-fan assisted Balanced flue Fan assisted room sealed Balanced flue = room sealed. The pictures show the characteristic ‘double pipe’ of a balanced flue. Presence of a fan is more difficult to tell, you can sometimes hear it when the boiler is on. Typically fans are found in newer boilers.

Central Heating Pump Age Unknown in most cases If known it can be entered into RdSAP Post 2012 notably better

Main Heating Controls Room thermostats Programmer TRVs Time and temperature zone control Weather compensator Boiler energy manager  

Types of Secondary Heating – gas fires

Rooms in Roof A special case and needs some description

Types A conversion of what would normally be a loft space, above the main part of the dwelling, or above any extensions. A house designed for occupation of the roof space such as a chalet bungalow, usually built with dormer or roof light windows

To be included in the RdSAP assessment: It must be accessed via a fixed staircase The height of the common wall must be less than 1.8m for at least 50% of common wall (excluding gable ends and party walls)

RdSAP details In this section we will cover the details of recording the various energy-related property features in RdSAP

Terrain Type Urban Suburban Rural Used to determine ventilation

Windows / Glazing Key data items: Total glazed area Proportion of multiple-glazed area Multiple-glazing type

Total Glazed Area Normal or typical More than typical Less than typical Much more than typical Much less than typical Sun rooms (next slide) Typical for age and construction – so a detached house built in the 1960s can be expected to have large windows, so enter as ‘typical’ unless it has an unusual feature like a sunroom, or has additional and extensive retrofitted patio doors

Extended Glazing and Sunrooms RdSAP definition of a conservatory: a structure with at least 75% its roof and at least 50% of its walls glazed Sunrooms can be entered in the extended glazing facility

Doors Total number of external doors includes doors to unheated corridors and any doors within the heat loss perimeter Double door = 2 doors Glass patio door = window Documentary evidence of insulated doors required

Draughtproofing Proportion of draughtproofed windows and doors is entered as a percentage Assumptions can be made based on window type if draughtproofing cannot be determined

Open fireplaces Number of open fireplaces within property recorded Conventions apply

Low Energy Lighting Need to record: Total number of fixed light fittings Total number of fixed low energy lighting fitted outlets Only fixed lighting is assessed LED and CFL are low energy ‘Low energy halogens’ are not

Ventilation Method Natural ventilation Mechanical, supply and extract* Mechanical, extract only* *whole house systems, NOT single room extract fans Presence of air conditioning can also be recorded by ticking a box

Electricity Meters Meter type must be recorded Single rate meter Mechanical dual rate meter (often ‘white meter’) Digital dual rate meter Other tariffs (18/24h) Smart meters not yet