NEWS

As always the regulatory and legislative situation is forever changing. Hear we hope to bring you important news relating to issues which affect our Clients and SDA:

November 2008 - SDA Celebrate 20 Years

Services Design Associates have recently celebrated twenty years of trading.  The practice was founded in 1988 to provide professional engineering consultancy services to both the public and private sector.  The aims and format of the company have not changed in that time and SDA are please to be able to continue to provide a high level of service to our clients.

September 2008 - Energy Performance Certificate (EPC)

Caroline Smith B.Eng (Hons), of Services Design Associates Ltd, has recently undertaken training and accreditation to become a Commercial Low Carbon Energy Assessor, Level 3 and Level 4, for the production of Energy Performance Certificates to meet the requirements of the Energy Performance of Buildings Regulations in the United Kingdom.

Since the 1st October 2008, there has been a legal requirement for all buildings used for Commercial purposes to have in place Energy Performance Certificates at point of sale, rent or construction. 

Commercial EPC's are based on the calculated energy usage and carbon dioxide emissions, are valid for 10 years.  There is no requirement for renewal each time the building is sold or let within this 10 year period. 

An Energy Performance Certificates (EPC) is intended to inform potential buyers or tenants about the energy performance of a building, so they can consider energy efficiency as part of their investment or business decision to buy or occupy that building.

January 2008 – Wiring Regulations

1st January 2008 sore the publication of the 17th edition of the Wiring Regulations.  Published by the Institution of Engineering & Technology (formerly the IEE) the Wiring Regulations have the status of a British Standard and are titled BS 7671: 2008, Requirements for Electrical Installations (IEE Wiring Regulations Seventeenth Edition).  The Building Regulations require that all electrical works undertaken in the UK comply with BS 7671 and as such make the Wiring Regulations mandatory.

The Wiring Regulations (BS 7671) have been largely redrafted in line with progress on international standards work by IEC and CENELEC.  The new edition encompasses many changes, too numerous to list hear.  Most prominently, however, will be the revised requirements for circuit protection which will see wide scale use of residual current devices (RCDs).  The new Wiring Regulations come into full affect 1st July 2008.  All electrical installations designed after this date must comply with the new regulations.

September 2007 – Low Carbon Consultants

To build on SDA’s practices of Low Carbon, Energy Efficient Design, Robert Manning BSc (Hons) CEng MIEE has undertaken and passed the CIBSE Low Carbon Consultants Course, allowing the company to be officially registered as Low Carbon Consultants.

We believe that as “Low Carbon Consultants” we are able to give the necessary advice in order to allow our Clients to reduce their Carbon Footprint.  We can develop a sustainability brief and specification for any project.  Our experience can help guide a project within its financial constraints to the most cost effective sustainable solution. 

The Carbon Consultant Accreditation Scheme broadens our range of expertise and improves service delivery to both the private and public sectors.  We look to improve energy efficiency and reduce carbon emissions, while incorporating low carbon and renewable technologies, ensuring compliance with ‘Part L’ of the Building Regulations.

July 2007 - New Premises

SDA have moved to prestigious new custom built premises.  The Acres Hill Business Park is a joint development between SDA and Acres Hill Developments Ltd, which comprises four 450m² to 650m² 2-story office units.  Situated at the junction of Acres Hill Lane and Parkway Drive, just off the A57 Sheffield Parkway, the site is less than two miles from the city centre and less than four miles from junction 33 of the M1.

August 2006 - iSBEM Competent Persons

We are pleased to announce that Services Design Associates are one of the first companies to achieve accreditation under the Competent Persons Scheme for the undertaking of Building CO2 emission rate calculations in accordance with the Simplified Building Energy Model (SBEM) as required by the recent changes to UK Building Regulations.

April 2006 - New Building Regulations Part L

The new Part L of the Building Regulations came into affect 6 April 2006. The new Part L sets out to make buildings more energy efficient, saving one million tonnes of carbon per year.

These much awaited changes will have a significant effect on design and construction practices and are intended to improve energy efficiency standards by 40%.

The new Part L is arranged into four sections:

• Approved Document L1A: Conservation of Fuel and Power: New Dwellings.

• Approved Document L1B: Conservation of Fuel and Power: Existing Dwellings.

• Approved Document L2A: Conservation of Fuel and Power: New Buildings other than Dwellings.

• Approved Document L2B: Conservation of Fuel and Power: Existing Buildings other than Dwellings.

January 2004 - New Building Regulations Part P

A new Part P of the Building Regulations came into affect in January 2005. With certain exceptions, when it is proposed to carry out electrical installation work in a dwelling or an associated garden, conservatory or detached outbuilding in England or Wales, notification of the proposals must be given to Building Control before the work begins, unless the work is undertaken by a person or firm registered with a Part P self-certification scheme. Part P self-certification schemes are operated by a number of accredited bodies including:

• BRE Certification Limited,
• BSI - British Standards Institution,
• ELECSA Limited,
• NAPIT Certification Ltd, and
• NICEIC Certification Services Limited.

A guide to when electrical work is notifiable or not can be found at the NICEIC web site.