This part of the interface deals with Section 6 data relating to the building type and the building’s environmental systems. It is divided into tabs covering different aspects of this data. Section 6 building and system settings may be stored in a user database.

Section 6 building and system data may be accessed by two routes:

1.     via the <VE> Compliance view menu option ‘Settings/Building Regs Building & System Data’

2.     via the Section 6 analysis dialogue at the lower edge of the <VE> Compliance screen.

Dwellings and non-dwellings require different types of building and system data. The data tabs and fields required to be filled in change depending on the Building Type selected.

Within Section 6, not all data fields are required by all methods. For example, while a large part of the building and system data for dwellings is used by the Elemental Method, some fields are required only by the Carbon Index (SAP) Method and can be ignored for the purpose of the Elemental Method. The detailed documentation below indicates which items of data are required for each method.

This tab deals with Section 6 data at the building level (as distinct from data describing individual rooms or constructions).

Section 6 distinguishes between various building types. The choices are:

Dwelling – a building in Purpose Group 1

Dwelling extension – a sub-category of dwellings

Residential building – a building in Purpose Group 2 (Table to J8.4)

Office – a building in Purpose Group 3 (Table to J8.4 & paragraph (13.1) – CPI Method)

Place of assembly or shop – a building in Purpose Group 5 or Purpose Group 4 (Table to J8.4)

Industrial or storage building – a building in Purpose Group 6 or Purpose Group 7 (Table to J8.4)

School – treated as a building in Purpose Group 5 for Section 6, but eligible for the Whole-building Method in Part L (England & Wales)

Hospital – treated as a building in Purpose Group 2 for Section 6, but eligible for the Whole-building Method in Part L (England & Wales)

Purpose Groups are defined in Part A, a copy of which is provided with the Section 6 software.

Indicate whether the building is new or existing. An existing building may have a less stringent CPI target for air-conditioning and mechanical ventilation. Where alterations are made to the fabric of existing buildings, existing elements that are not subject to alteration may not need to comply with the standards of the current regulations. However, the software currently applies the same checks to all elements.

This tab contains data describing the dwelling’s heating system. This data is used by all three methods for dwellings, with the exception of data fields appearing in green, which are used only by the Carbon Index (SAP) Method. All other tabs are used exclusively by the Carbon Index Method.

This tab provides access to the Boiler Efficiency Database maintained by DEFRA. This database is updated on the first day of each month and the latest version may be downloaded from www.boilers.org.uk. The database file, ‘bedf.dat’, should be placed in the folder ‘IES\apps\Regs’.

The type of system providing space-heating in the dwelling. The options (underlined) are the system types appearing in SAP^[3] Table 4a. Depending on the heating system selected, further data fields are presented, as shown below beneath each option:

Heating system type

Select a central heating system type:

Gas or oil boiler

Click on a radio button to indicate the source of the boiler efficiency data:

Use SAP Table 4b – to take efficiency and other data from this table

Boiler type (2 fields) – select options to describe the gas/oil boiler for SAP Table 4b

Boiler type (2 fields) – select options to describe the gas/oil boiler for SAP Table 4b

Enter manufacturer’s efficiency? – tick this box to override the SAP Table 4b efficiency

Select from boiler database – to take efficiency and other data from the boiler database

Select from database – accesses the boiler database allowing you to select a boiler

Detail – displays the detailed parameters for the selected boiler

Efficiency adjustments (SAP Table 4c) due to...

These options are used to calculate the Adjusted Efficiency (SAP Table 4c).

Low temperature distribution system – select an option for SAP Table 4c

Control system – select an option for SAP Table 4c

 

Heat emitter (SAP Table 4d) – select a type of heat emitter for SAP Table 4d

Solid fuel boiler

Solid fuel boiler type – select an option to describe the boiler for SAP Table 4a

Electric Boiler

Electric boiler type – select an option to describe the boiler for SAP Table 4a

Electric CPSU data (SAP Appendix F) – specify CPSU parameters where applicable for use in SAP Appendix F:

CPSU cylinder size (litres)

CPSU operating temperature (winter)

Heat Pumps

Heat pump type – select an option to describe the heat pump for SAP Table 4a

COMMUNITY HEATING SCHEME

Heating scheme type

Select a community heating scheme type (determines the method used for the Carbon Index calculation):

CHP (includes instances where some heat is supplied from community boilers).

Recovered heat from power station (includes instances where some heat is supplied from community boilers) – treated differently from CHP in Carbon Index calculation.

Community boilers  (without any CHP or recovered heat component) – treated with a dedicated section of the SAP worksheet. With this option the parameter ‘Fraction of heat from CHP or fraction of heat recovered from power station’ on the SAP 9* & 10* Space-heating (community heating) tab should be set to 0.

STORAGE RADIATOR SYSTEM

Tariff – select Off-peak or 24-hour tariff for SAP Table 4a

Heater type – select a type of storage heater for SAP Table 4a

WARM-AIR SYSTEM

Air heating system – select a type of warm-air system for SAP Table 4a

Heater type – select a heater type for SAP Table 4a

 

Heater type – select a room heater type for SAP Table 4a

OTHER SPACE-HEATING SYSTEM

Heating system type – only one option, Electric ceiling heating, is permitted in Table 4a

UNDECIDED

Permissible U-values in the Elemental and Target U-value Methods depend on the type of system. If the system type is undecided, the more stringent values apply.

Select a fuel or electricity tariff to be used in SAP Table 12 or, in the case of heat pumps, SAP Appendix G. The fuel must be consistent with the space heating system. For community heating, this parameter is ignored: community heating fuels are specified on the SAP 9* & 10* Space-heating (community heating) tab.

This field is only required by the Building Regulations for England and Wales, and may be ignored for the purposes of Section 6.

Displays the efficiency of the heating system, unadjusted for distribution system and controls. If you have ticked the box ‘Enter manufacturer’s efficiency?’ you should enter the manufacturer’s efficiency here.

Displays the Heating type parameter of the heating system obtained from SAP Table 4a and used in the SAP Table 8 to obtain the (unadjusted) mean internal temperature of the living area.

Displays the Responsiveness parameter, R, of the heating system obtained from SAP Table 4a and used in the SAP worksheet (box 72) to adjust the mean internal temperature of the living area.

Indicates whether the system efficiency qualifies as a SEDBUK value. If you have ticked the box ‘Enter manufacturer’s efficiency?’ you should also indicate whether the entered efficiency is a SEDBUK value, which it must be if the Elemental Method is to be applied.

Indicates the source of the efficiency data (Boiler database, SAP Table 4b, Manufacturer or N/A). Non-editable.

Displays the efficiency of the heating system, adjusted for distribution system and controls as indicated in SAP Table 4c.

Select the heating system control type for SAP Table 4e. This will affect the Control parameter used in SAP Table 9 (difference in temperatures between zones) and the room temperature adjustment entered in SAP box 71.