SAP report

New report: Making SAP fit for Net Zero

Lucy Dixon
28.06.2021

Making SAP fit for Net Zero is a new report from a team including CIBSE, Elementa, Levitt Bernstein, WSP, UCL, Clarion Housing Group and Etude.

The report was commissioned by the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) and it makes recommendations on improving SAP and RdSAP so they are fit for Net Zero.

SAP is the calculation methodology used to estimate and regulate the energy and carbon performance of new homes and the existing housing stock across the United Kingdom, from small works to large new developments. It is a central tool for those developing, implementing and tracking policies on energy, fuel poverty and carbon emissions and is being used by the whole building industry.

The report summarises the issues that should be addressed in the next version of SAP to make it the best possible methodology by 2023-2024. These include current trends affecting housing, the energy system, technologies and innovations such as performance testing and verification.

The 25 recommendations are split into five areas:

  1. Better align SAP/RdSAP and its strategic objectives
  2. Improvements to the methodology
  3. Improvements to SAP/RdSAP and its ecosystem for Net Zero
  4. For a better evaluation of energy use
  5. Support to decarbonisation of heat and electricity

Download the full Making SAP fit for Net Zero report

Queries can be sent to the CIBSE Technical Manager, Julie Godefroy, at jgodefroy@cibse.org