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Building performance evaluation and certification in the UK: Is SAP fit for purpose?

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  • Kelly, Scott
  • Crawford-Brown, Doug
  • Pollitt, Michael G.

Abstract

Improving the efficiency and performance of the UK residential sector is now necessary for meeting future energy and climate change targets. Building performance evaluation and certification (BPEC) tools are vital for estimating and recommending cost effective improvements to building energy efficiency and lowering overall emissions. In the UK, building performance is estimated using the standard assessment procedure (SAP) for new dwellings and Reduced SAP (RdSAP) for existing dwellings. Using a systems based approach we show there are many opportunities for improving the effectiveness of BPEC tools. In particular, if the building stock is going to meet future energy and climate change targets the system driving building energy efficiency will need to become more efficient. In order to achieve this goal, building performance standards across Europe are compared highlighting the most effective strategies where they are found. It is shown that the large variance between estimated and actual energy performance from dwellings in the UK may be preventing the adoption of bottom-up energy efficiency measures. We show that despite popular belief, SAP and RdSAP do not estimate building energy efficiency but instead attempt to estimate the cost-effective performance of a building and thus create perverse incentives that may lead to additional CO2 emissions. In this regard, the SAP standard confounds cost-effectiveness, energy efficiency and environmental performance giving an inadequate estimate of all three policy objectives. Important contributions for improving measurement, analysis, synthesis and certification of building performance characteristics are offered.

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  • Kelly, Scott & Crawford-Brown, Doug & Pollitt, Michael G., 2012. "Building performance evaluation and certification in the UK: Is SAP fit for purpose?," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 16(9), pages 6861-6878.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:rensus:v:16:y:2012:i:9:p:6861-6878
    DOI: 10.1016/j.rser.2012.07.018
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    7. Urquizo, Javier & Calderón, Carlos & James, Philip, 2018. "Modelling household spatial energy intensity consumption patterns for building envelopes, heating systems and temperature controls in cities," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 226(C), pages 670-681.
    8. Kyung Hwa Cho & Sun Sook Kim, 2019. "Energy Performance Assessment According to Data Acquisition Levels of Existing Buildings," Energies, MDPI, vol. 12(6), pages 1-17, March.
    9. Koo, Choongwan & Hong, Taehoon & Lee, Minhyun & Seon Park, Hyo, 2014. "Development of a new energy efficiency rating system for existing residential buildings," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 68(C), pages 218-231.
    10. Neil Burford & Rod Jones & Stephen Reynolds & David Rodley, 2016. "Macro Micro Studio: A Prototype Energy Autonomous Laboratory," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 8(6), pages 1-25, May.
    11. Seyedzadeh, Saleh & Pour Rahimian, Farzad & Oliver, Stephen & Rodriguez, Sergio & Glesk, Ivan, 2020. "Machine learning modelling for predicting non-domestic buildings energy performance: A model to support deep energy retrofit decision-making," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 279(C).
    12. Ray Pritchard & Scott Kelly, 2017. "Realising Operational Energy Performance in Non-Domestic Buildings: Lessons Learnt from Initiatives Applied in Cambridge," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 9(8), pages 1-21, August.
    13. Joowook Kim & Jemin Myoung & Hyunwoo Lim & Doosam Song, 2020. "Efficiency Gap Caused by the Input Data in Evaluating Energy Efficiency of Low-Income Households’ Energy Retrofit Program," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(7), pages 1-11, April.
    14. Jeong, Jaewook & Hong, Taehoon & Ji, Changyoon & Kim, Jimin & Lee, Minhyun & Jeong, Kwangbok & Koo, Choongwan, 2017. "Development of a prediction model for the cost saving potentials in implementing the building energy efficiency rating certification," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 189(C), pages 257-270.
    15. Li, Y. & Kubicki, S. & Guerriero, A. & Rezgui, Y., 2019. "Review of building energy performance certification schemes towards future improvement," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 113(C), pages 1-1.
    16. Gupta, Rajat & Kotopouleas, Alkis, 2018. "Magnitude and extent of building fabric thermal performance gap in UK low energy housing," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 222(C), pages 673-686.
    17. Nejat, Payam & Jomehzadeh, Fatemeh & Taheri, Mohammad Mahdi & Gohari, Mohammad & Abd. Majid, Muhd Zaimi, 2015. "A global review of energy consumption, CO2 emissions and policy in the residential sector (with an overview of the top ten CO2 emitting countries)," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 43(C), pages 843-862.
    18. Hong, Taehoon & Koo, Choongwan & Kim, Daeho & Lee, Minhyun & Kim, Jimin, 2015. "An estimation methodology for the dynamic operational rating of a new residential building using the advanced case-based reasoning and stochastic approaches," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 150(C), pages 308-322.
    19. Comerford, David A. & Lange, Ian & Moro, Mirko, 2018. "Proof of concept that requiring energy labels for dwellings can induce retrofitting," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 69(C), pages 204-212.
    20. Pasichnyi, Oleksii & Wallin, Jörgen & Levihn, Fabian & Shahrokni, Hossein & Kordas, Olga, 2019. "Energy performance certificates — New opportunities for data-enabled urban energy policy instruments?," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 127(C), pages 486-499.
    21. Roh, Seungjun & Tae, Sungho & Shin, Sungwoo, 2014. "Development of building materials embodied greenhouse gases assessment criteria and system (BEGAS) in the newly revised Korea Green Building Certification System (G-SEED)," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 35(C), pages 410-421.
    22. Xie, Y. & Gilmour, M.S. & Yuan, Y. & Jin, H. & Wu, H., 2017. "A review on house design with energy saving system in the UK," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 71(C), pages 29-52.

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