Software assesses compliance with Building Regulations
IES has launched its alternative to SBEM software (Simplified Building Energy Model) for assessing compliance with the new Building Regulations. VE Compliance has passed all the tests required. Its established thermal-simulation tool called ApacheSim has been developed to offer a more accurate and comprehensive route for assessing compliance with Part L2 2006. Using the approved calculation methodology, VE Compliance is said to offer increased flexibility over SBEM, especially for more complex buildings. It assesses compliance by estimating the building carbon emissions for different elements of the building separately and adding them to get the final result. This increased flexibility yields more design options and enables elements such as bulk airflow, natural and mixed-mode ventilation, self shading and shading from adjacent buildings to be considered. Results files detailing all calculations can be included in submissions to the Building Control authorities. Each calculation is cross referenced to relevant sections of the official documents. VES Compliance is included in IES’s 2006 Part L software bundles for testing compliance for both Part L1 and Part L2. *An updated version of the SBEM software for calculating compliance with Part L in buildings other than dwellings is now available to designers. The development team at BRE has incorporated improvements to the calculation and data entry. The new package can be downloaded from teh BRE web site below.
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