SBEM Calculations

What information do we require?

​We'll need you to provide some relevant supporting evidence (such as product brochures). We will only ask you to provide relevant information.

​​HVAC info – location/heat recovery, make/model etc.

• Lighting loads (w/m2 @ 100 LUX, or, lumens/watts either per zone or average for building)

• Hot water systems (storage tank make/model/size)

• U-Values – walls, floors, roofs, glazing, doors

• Plans and elevations – must include measurements (PDF only. Do not provide AutoCAD files)

• General overview of mechanical ventilation – location, heat recovery, make/model etc

• External elevations / conceptual drawings

• Air test Certificate if >500m2 (or if <500m2 and permeability is being declared as less than 15)

• (optional but helpful) Photographs of the project, during construction and upon completion

 ​Note, for Shell and Core / Design Stage, as a minimum we require only floor plans and elevations to produce either an EPC or an SBEM report. However, any M&E specifications or U values that have been recommended (in the absence of any information provided) within the calculations should be implemented as a minimum during fit out.

If you require SBEM and EPC, you will be required to sign an online declaration prior to lodgement of the EPC. 

Exemptions

The following are exempt from Part L (and therefore Commercial EPC requirements). 

• Places of worship

• Stand-alone units of less than 50m2

• Listed buildings that are unable to comply with Part L due to planning restrictions

• Temporary buildings with a planned lifecycle of less than 2 years

Part L2B - Extensions

SBEM calculations are required where the extension part has a floor area greater than 25% of the floor area of the original building and a gross internal area greater than 100m2.

Part L2B - Conversions and Renovations

Essentially all conversions to non-dwellings require an SBEM Calculation in order to comply with Part L2b of the Building Regulations (or a regional variant). A conversion typically occurs as a result of a ‘Material Change of Use’, where the purpose or use of the building is altered.

Some examples of what is considered a ‘Material Change of Use’ are provided by Building Regulations/Standards:

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• The building is used as a hotel or boarding houses where it was previously not

• The building is used as an institution or school where previously it was not

• The building is used as a public building where previously it was not

• The building is used as a dwelling where previously it was not