The tighter requirements in 2014 will make the path to obtaining permission more
difficult. In order for architects to adjust effectively, it will be necessary to already
carry out analysis during the design process to submit schemes for validation when
their performance levels are already known.
Part L Design Variables SAP Calculation
SAP Calculation
2014 changes mean tougher
benchmarks & multiple iterations
Part L Compliance
CERTIFICATION
BUILDING EMISSION RATE
BELOW
TARGET EMISSION RATE
BUILDING EMISSION RATE
ABOVE
TARGET EMISSION RATE
1 2a
Pass Design
Fail 2b
3
Comply
THERMAL ENVELOPE
LIGHTING EFFICIENCY
SYSTEM TYPES
LOW OR ZERO CARBON
TECHNOLOGY (LZC)
SYSTEM EFFICIENCY
How Architects Currently Meet These Goals
The diagram below illustrates the process through which architects currently obtain Part
L compliance. Using tools that focus on validation, not analysis, a lot of architects submit
their designs for Standard Assessment Procedure (SAP) calculations without already
having a good understanding of their performance or any certainty of whether a design
will pass or fail. If it does fail, the designer still doesn't learn what he needs to improve to
make it pass. He will likely submit the next version, again without knowing whether it will
pass. As a result, the design process is more tactical than strategic and in many cases, last
minute fixes and design compromises are used to get approval.
Fig 1: How the compliance process currently works
