Building Regulations - Section 63 ApacheSim (DSM) User Guide

Transcription

1 Building Regulations - Section 63 ApacheSim (DSM) User Guide IES Virtual Environment

2 Contents 1. Overview... 3 What is Section 63?... 3 Requirements for using Section 63 in the Virtual Environment... 3 Assessment and Improvement Process Getting Started... 5 Pre-requisites... 5 EPC Simulation and Lodgement Preparing your model for Section Assessor and Building Details... 6 Selecting Section 63 Assessment Mode... 6 Preparatory Checks for Section Boilers > 15 Years Old... 6 Loft Access for Roofs... 7 Assessment Settings for Section EPC Report Reference Number (RRN)... 8 Date of sale or lease of building... 9 Planned completion date for the Section 63 action plan... 9 Has the Section 63 action plan been completed?... 9 Actual completion date for the Section 63 action plan... 9 Use operational rating?... 9 Is DEC and advisory report lodged in register and displayed in building?... 9 Who commissioned the Section 63 action plan? Name of tenant/delegated person Has delegated protocol been set up? Set up date of the delegated protocol Is mains gas supply available on site? Applicable Prescriptive Measures Generating a Prescribed Measures Action Plan Reviewing the Action Plan No Improvement Targets Improvement Targets Identified Working with Alternative Scenarios Creating an Alternative Scenario

3 Settings for Alternative Scenarios Assessment Settings Prescriptive Measures Alternative Measures Generating the Action Plan Reviewing the Action Plan Reviewing Savings for the Alternative Measure Adding A New Measure Deleting an Existing Measure Notes on Savings Values Managing Scenarios Exporting the Active Scenario Deleting the Active Scenario Deleting all Scenarios Finalising the Assessment Updating the EPC Generating the final Action Plan Appendix A: Frequently Asked Questions Appendix B: Automatic Triggers for Prescriptive Measures Appendix C: Lodging on the Scottish EPC Register

4 1. Overview What is Section 63? As part of its contribution to the international effort required on climate change, the Scottish Government has committed to achieving an 80% reduction in Scotland s emissions by 2050 and a 42% reduction by 2020 through The Climate Change (Scotland) Act. Section 63 of the Act requires regulations to be made for: the assessment of the energy performance of existing non-domestic buildings and greenhouse gas emissions from such buildings; and for building owners to take steps to improve the energy performance of, and reduce emissions from, such buildings. These regulations came into effect from 1 September They apply to larger buildings, those with a floor area of more than 1000 m² and are triggered by either sale or by lease to a new tenant. Generally, owners of such buildings also require to provide a valid Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) in such situations. Buildings that meet energy standards equivalent to those introduced by the 2002 building regulations (these buildings are already reasonably energy efficient); or are already improved via a Green Deal (a UK Government funding mechanism) are exempted from the regulations. Where the regulations apply, the owner of the building must undertake further assessment to produce an Action Plan which identifies targets for improvement of the carbon and energy performance of the building and how these targets would be met through physical improvements to the property. Once an Action Plan is finalised, the owner can choose to improve or to defer the improvements by reporting operational energy ratings (actual measured energy use via a Display Energy Certificate or DEC ) on an annual basis. All Action Plans and DECs are lodged to the Scottish EPC Register. As is the case with an EPC, the Action Plan must be made available to prospective buyers or tenants and provided to the new owner or tenant. Provision of the Action Plan is all that is required to enable marketing of the property. Building on the existing EPC assessor role, the Action Plan will be produced by persons also registered as a Section 63 advisor, who have demonstrated competence in the assessment procedure and the provision of improvement advice to building owners. Requirements for using Section 63 in the Virtual Environment The Virtual Environment (VE) software now includes support for Section 63 advisors to generate Action Plans for VE projects that already have a lodged Section 6 (2015) EPC on the register. This user guide will show you how to access and use the functionality within the VE and take you through the expected workflow. A new VE licence for Section 63 is required this is in addition to the existing Section 6 (2015) licence, which is also still required. If you are missing one or both of these licences, you will not be able to use the Section 63 functionality within the VE. Please contact keys@iesve.com for queries or support with licensing issues. 3

5 Assessment and Improvement Process The Section 63 assessment process is shown below: Does the owner have a valid Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) that matches the building offered? YES Can this EPC data be used for an Action Plan? YES Owner instructs new EPC to enable use of data in Action Plan Valid EPC data available (data currently lodged to the Scottish EPC Register and VE project provided) Apply relevant prescriptive measures within VE project to determine energy performance and emissions savings targets Result - Prescriptive measures apply Savings targets defined. Define alternative measures using scenario. Result No prescriptive measures apply. No savings targets. Lodge Action Plan to record this. No further action needed. Owner decides whether to implement prescribed measures or alternative measures Improvement Owner implements improvements within 3.5 years (42 months) of date of first Action Plan Update and Lodge EPC NO Update and lodge Action Plan with Actual completion date document of confirmation of improvement Create and Lodge Action Plan (when improved) Owner has fulfilled their duty under the regulations NO Reporting Owner reports annual operational ratings (option only available within 12 months of first Action Plan) Continue to report annual ratings until improvement measures are completed This user guide will provide details on setting up and completing a Section 63 assessment on a VE project, including the process used for both prescriptive and alternative measures within the software. 4

6 2. Getting Started Pre-requisites This guide presumes that you are already experienced in the use of the VE to design and configure a valid building model and are familiar with the use of the VE Compliance module for generating an EPC using the Section 6 (2015) building regulation. If you are unfamiliar with these aspects, you should consult the other user guides for the software before continuing. IES can also offer a range of training courses to allow you to become experienced in practical usage of the software and its functionality please visit to find out more. You must also ensure that you have the licence keys for Section 6 (2015) and Section 63 and that these have been successfully locked to your user you can check this using the Licence Control option from the Help menu. Click the Check Usage button, and then ensure that both Regs;Sec.6( 15) and Regs;Section63 are checked and that your username is listed as using 1 of the licences for each: If the Regs;Section63 item is not listed, ensure that you are running VE2017 Feature Pack 1 or later. If the licence keys are not listed as in-use by your username, you may need to purchase additional licences. Finally, this guide presumes that you are already registered and accredited as a Section 63 Advisor (in addition to being a registered, active non-domestic EPC assessor) and are familiar and fully compliant with the skills, knowledge and processes required by this role. Full details on the Section 63 Advisor role, the assessment process and how to undertake it are available in the Section 63 Practitioner Handbook (S63-006) and from the Scottish Government s Section 63 website: EPC Simulation and Lodgement As the Section 63 Action Plan is associated to the EPC for a building, your model must have been fully configured and simulated for an EPC with ApacheSim, with that final EPC having been successfully logged on the Scottish EPC Register. IMPORTANT: The VE model MUST include the actual and notional building results (.aps) files for the EPC simulation in order to generate an Action Plan. You should not attempt to use a different model, or modify the model set-up since the EPC was generated and lodged this would require resimulation and re-lodgement of the updated EPC before starting Section 63 analysis. 5

7 3. Preparing your model for Section 63 Assessor and Building Details The Action Plan document produced for a Section 63 assessment will include the following general information: - Assessor ID (Membership ID) - Unique Property Reference Number (UPRN) - Date of Assessment (EPC Inspection Date) - Building Street Address These details are taken from Building & System Data in EPC mode you must ensure that these details are accurate before beginning a Section 63 assessment. The Membership ID and Building Street Address are set on the General tab, whilst the UPRN and Inspection Date are set on the Building Details tab. Selecting Section 63 Assessment Mode As an associated assessment to the ApacheSim EPC for Section 6 (2015) Scotland, you use the VE Compliance module to perform a Section 63 assessment and generate an Action Plan. You can access Section 63 by selecting Section 6 (2015) - Scotland from the Regulations dropdown on the toolbar, and then selecting ApacheSim - Section 63 from the Simulation Mode dropdown: In Section 63 simulation mode, the actual model is always active the Building dropdown will be replaced by a Scenarios dropdown. This dropdown is used to create and switch between Section 63 alternative scenarios it will default to Prescribed Measures. Full details on alternative scenarios are given in Working with Alternative Scenarios. However, you must complete assessment using Prescribed Measures first. Preparatory Checks for Section 63 There are only two general cases where you will need to make modifications to the model before starting Section 63 analysis marking any boiler that is older than 15 years, and marking any Roof spaces that have loft access. You should check each of these before commencing the assessment process. Boilers > 15 Years Old Where the building uses a boiler that is over 15 years old, you should check the Apache System the represents the boiler to mark it as such. This is done by opening Apache Systems, selecting the appropriate system and then clicking the UK NCM Wizard button. This will open the system wizard 6

8 on the Heating system tab, tick the Is boiler over 15 years old? (Section 63 only) checkbox if appropriate: This setting should be appropriately set for all Apache Systems that are used in the model. Loft Access for Roofs For all rooms in the model that have a type of Unheated Roof, they must be appropriately marked to indicate whether or not they have loft access. This can be done either on the Building Regs tab of both Space Data (for a single room) or Tabular Space Data (for applying to multiple rooms simultaneously) by setting the Is there loft access? (Section 63) option: Note that this option is only available when the NCM Room Type is set to Unheated Roof. It can also be set on a thermal template, to allow a default value to be set for all roof spaces that use that template: Once these options have been set appropriately and the changes saved, you can begin a Section 63 assessment. 7

9 Assessment Settings for Section 63 The first step to completing a Section 63 assessment for your project is to provide the details that are required for the Action Plan. These details are defined using the Section 63 tab in Building & System Data: The values provided for these fields will feed into the resulting action plan, so you must set them up appropriately in order to complete a valid Section 63 assessment. The various settings are as follows: EPC Report Reference Number (RRN) Each EPC has a unique identifier to allow it to be stored and located on the central register this identifier is known as the Report Reference Number (RRN) and can be found at the top left of the front page of the EPC. The RRN takes the form of 5 4-digit numbers, each separated by hyphens. You must manually enter the RRN from your EPC into the field note that the formatting is enforced, so you do not need to enter the hyphens between the numbers. A What is this? Hyperlink is provided next to the RRN field when clicked, this will display some helpful information on the RRN and how to find it. It also includes a View EPC link, that will open the VE-generated EPC document in your installed PDF viewer if you do not have this version of the EPC, you will need to search for the lodged EPC on the Scottish EPC Register in order to get the RRN. 8

10 NOTE: if the RRN field is left as , you will not be able to close the Building & System Data window using the OK button - a balloon tip will be displayed, indicating that you must provide a value: Date of sale or lease of building An Action Plan is required whenever the building is to be sold or leased to a new tenant. This field represents the first day on which the building will be marketed for sale or to let it should be provided by the client. The date can be entered manually or using the drop-down calendar function. Planned completion date for the Section 63 action plan This must record a date no later than 42 months after the date of issue of the first Action Plan for the building. Note that it is the assessor s responsibility to verify whether a previous Action Plan exists for the building and, where a previous Action Plan exists, to record that same planned completion date. The date can be entered manually or using the drop-down calendar function. Has the Section 63 action plan been completed? This option is used to indicate that all improvement works on the building have been completed (or where the initial assessment indicated that none of the prescribed measures applied to the building) and that the Action Plan that will be generated will be lodged on the central register (see Appendix C: Lodging on the Scottish EPC Register). It must be unticked for all other Action Plans. Actual completion date for the Section 63 action plan When the Has the Section 63 action plan been completed? option is ticked, this allows the completion date for the Action Plan to be entered. The date can be entered manually or using the drop-down calendar function. Use operational rating? The regulations allow 42 months (3 and a half years) for improvements to be implemented. However, the Operational Rating route permits a building owner to defer completion of improvement works if the reporting of annual operational ratings is commenced within 12 months of the date of issue of first Action Plan for the building. This recognises that there will be situations where improvement works are perhaps not practical in the short term a Display Energy Certificate (DEC) is used to report the ratings in this instance. This option indicates whether the Operational Rating route has been selected to defer implementation of measures. Is DEC and advisory report lodged in register and displayed in building? If the Use operational rating? option is ticked, this option can be used to indicate that a DEC has been lodged and displayed in the building. Note: production and lodgement of data for a DEC is a separate activity. The Section 63 advisor simply requires written confirmation from the building owner that operational ratings will be lodged as required under The Assessment of Energy Performance of Non-Domestic Buildings (Scotland) Regulations

11 Who commissioned the Section 63 action plan? The options available here are either Owner or Tenant/delegated person. Note that this is used simply to record the existence of such arrangement on the Action Plan - it does not affect liability under the regulations. Name of tenant/delegated person If Tenant/delegated person was selected, this field allows the name of the relevant person to be entered (should they choose to provide it). This can be left blank, and does not appear on the Action Plan. Has delegated protocol been set up? If Tenant/delegated person was selected, this option indicates whether the building owner has delegated responsibility for production of the Action Plan, and any subsequent action to undertake improvement or report operational ratings, to a third party. Whilst this does not affect the responsibility of the building owner under the regulations, the Action Plan can identify that a "delegated protocol" is in place, to assist in the recording of such matters between the owner and the delegated party. Set up date of the delegated protocol If Tenant/delegated person was selected AND Has delegated protocol been set up? was ticked, this field allows the set-up date for the delegated protocol between the owner and third party to be entered. The date can be entered manually or using the drop-down calendar function. Is mains gas supply available on site? This option is used to indicate whether the building has a mains gas supply. 10

12 Applicable Prescriptive Measures As outlined in the Section 63 Guide for Building Owners (S63-001), the Section 63 assessment uses seven prescriptive improvement measures for the building. These are: 1. Adding central time heating controls to the HVAC system. If there is an incomplete set of heating controls present in the building, improvement by the central time heating control measure resulting in a 1% improvement in current heating efficiency. 2. Upgrading lighting controls to use local manual and photoelectric (PE) switching. If there are no additional lighting controls present in the building, improvement by installation of a lighting controls measure using local manual switching (where supported) and photoelectric switching (for spaces that receive direct daylight. 3. Draught-stripping for windows and doors. If the current building is reported as having an air infiltration rate greater than 14 m³/h/m², a reduction in heat loss from infiltration will be assigned by reducing the current stated infiltration rate by 10%. 4. Adding insulation to the hot water storage cylinder. If a hot water tank is present without insulation, improvement is based upon installation of an 80mm insulation jacket to reduce standing heat loss. 5. Replacing incandescent lamps with compact fluorescent lamps (CFL). If incandescent lamps are in use within the building, improvement by a lamp replacement measure based upon installation of compact fluorescent lamps in all such zones of the building. 6. Replacing the boiler if it is more than 15 years old. Conditional on the boiler to be replaced being more than 15 years old. Improvement by boiler replacement will be modelled, based upon a boiler using the same fuel but with an efficiency equal to the minimum value set out in current building regulations. 7. Improved insulation of any accessible roof spaces (i.e. lofts). If any area of roof is poorly insulated, with a U-value of 1.0 W/m2K or higher and the roof space is accessible, improvement by installation of additional insulation to improve the U-value of any such areas to 0.15 W/m²K. The applicability of these measures to your building model will be determined automatically, based upon the settings used in the spaces, Apache Systems and constructions within the model (details on the triggers within the model for each of the measures are given in Appendix B: Automatic Triggers for Prescriptive Measures). You can view which of the seven measures is applicable to your building using the Prescriptive Measures tab in Building & System Data: 11

13 The tab includes a triggered checkbox for each of the prescriptive improvement measures listed previously each is labelled with an abbreviated version of the measure. When a checkbox is ticked, the associated measure has been identified as being applicable to your building model and will be included when performing the Section 63 assessment to calculate the target annual savings for CO 2 emissions and energy usage. Note that you cannot manually change the ticked state of these checkboxes it is derived from the settings in the building model. If none of the checkboxes are ticked, this means that none of the prescriptive improvement measures are applicable to the building. In this situation, the generated Action Plan will have no improvement targets (i.e. the target annual savings for both CO 2 and energy will be zero). Click OK to close Building & System Data and proceed to generating the initial Action Plan. IMPORTANT: As the identification of which measures are applicable is based upon the settings within the model that represent the physical building, you MUST NOT make any changes to the model in the prescribed measures its state must match that used to generate the EPC. 12

14 4. Generating a Prescribed Measures Action Plan With the appropriate settings entered into the Section 63 tab in Building & System Data (see Assessment Settings for Section 63), you are now ready to generate the first draft Action Plan for the building. To do so, click the Generate action plan button on the Section 6 (2015) Scotland Analysis tab below the viewport: When clicked, this button will start an Apache DSM simulation of the model with the identified prescribed improvement measures applied this simulation is necessary to calculate the target savings for the prescriptive measures compared to the actual building alone. Note that the improvement measures are not applied to the actual building, as this would change its state the measures are applied for the simulation only. Once the simulation is completed (this may take some time, depending on the size and complexity of your building model) and the results file downloaded, the Action Plan will be generated and the Results tab will be automatically activated: 13

15 The Results tab will display the target annual savings values for both CO 2 and Energy. Note that you can hover over the values with the mouse cursor to see the comparative values for the actual building only and the building with the identified prescriptive measures applied: To view the draft Action Plan, click the View Action Plan button this will open the action plan in your default PDF viewer application. You can also view the Action Plan using the Content Manager select Content Manager from the Tools menu in the VE. 14

16 Reviewing the Action Plan With the Action Plan now generated, the next stage depends on whether or not the Action Plan indicates there are target savings to be made using the prescribed measures. This can be determined by reviewing the Prescriptive Improvement Measures section of the plan. No Improvement Targets If none of the prescriptive improvement measures are applicable to the building (i.e. all seven measures are marked as N in the Valid column), there are no improvement targets for Section 63 - both Target emission savings and Target energy savings are zero, meaning no improvement is required. The party commissioning the report should be advised that no action beyond lodgement of the final Action Plan is needed to comply with the regulations. Prior to lodgement, you must return to the Section 63 tab in Building & System Data and set the following: Enter the current date into the Planned completion date of the Section 63 action plan field 2. Tick the Has the Section 63 action plan been completed? option 3. Enter the current date into the Actual completion date of the Section 63 action plan field With these values changed, click OK to close Building & System Data and then click the Generate Action Plan button again once completed, the final Action Plan can be lodged on the central register (see Appendix C: Lodging on the Scottish EPC Register for details). Note: there is no need to create an alternative scenario in this case. Improvement Targets Identified If one or more of the prescriptive improvement measures are applicable to the building, the relevant measures are marked with a Y in the Valid column. The Target emission savings and Target energy savings fields will show the identified improvement targets. It is the responsibility of the Section 63 advisor to assess the relevance of the prescribed measures and prepare a set of alternative measures that provide an example of a practical and relevant improvement scenario for the building (i.e. an alternative scenario). Given that an alternative improvement scenario is likely to offer the most relevant and economical means of improvement, at least one alternative scenario must be produced by the advisor before discussing the assessment with the person commissioning the Action Plan. Details on creating and assessing an alternative scenario are given in the following section.

17 5. Working with Alternative Scenarios An alternative scenario effectively represents a snapshot of the actual model in order to allow for most relevant and economical means of improvement, a scenario allows for the following: 1. Deselection of some/all of the prescriptive improvement measures that were identified 2. Manual definition and modification of the model to provide one or more alternative improvement measures Changes made to the alternative scenario are not reflected in the original source project (viewed using Prescribed Measures on the Scenario toolbar drop-down menu). The alternative scenario is in effect a completely independent model, allowing you to make changes to building thermal data, constructions, profiles and so on. However, it is only accessible within the ApacheSim - Section 63 simulation mode in VE Compliance this prevents more fundamental changes, such as geometry edits and changes to MacroFlo and Radiance settings. Creating an Alternative Scenario To create a new alternative scenario, first ensure the model is saved by selecting Save Project from the File menu or by clicking the button on the application toolbar. Then click on the Scenario drop-down menu in the VE Compliance regulations toolbar and select the Create Alternative Scenario item: This will then prompt you to enter a name for the scenario you should enter something here that will allow you to easily identify the scenario. Note that the scenario name: - Must be unique (case-insensitive) - Cannot be blank (or consist of all spaces) - Cannot contain any of the following characters: \ / : *? " < > Click OK once you have entered a suitable name. The existing model data is then copied to create the new scenario depending on the size and complexity of your model, this may take some time. Once the scenario is created, it will automatically become the active model in Section 63 mode its name will be displayed on the Scenario drop-down and in the caption of the main VE window. For example, if the scenario was called Test Scenario : 16

18 Any modifications made will then be applied to the scenario model. Settings for Alternative Scenarios As with the Prescribed Measures, the Section 63 settings for an alternative scenario are accessed via the Building & System Data window. Assessment Settings The assessment settings for a scenario are displayed on the Section 63 tab and are identical to those displayed in the Prescribed Measures mode (see Assessment Settings for Section 63). Note: unlike the settings shown in other tabs, these settings are shared within this project - changes made here in one scenario will apply to any other scenario, and also to the original source project. Prescriptive Measures 17

19 The Prescriptive Measures tab still shows which (if any) of the seven prescriptive improvement measures was identified in the original source project these are marked as ticked in the Triggered column if they were applicable. However, as an alternative scenario is intended to identify the most relevant and economical means of improvement, it may be that the advisor wishes to prevent the automatic application of some or all of the identified trigger measures in favour of their own custom modifications. For this reason, a second column of Selected checkboxes is shown for a scenario. Where a measure is ticked in the Triggered column, it can then be deselected in the Selected column by unticking it otherwise the checkboxes in the Selected column will appear unticked and disabled. Alternative Measures An alternative scenario must define at least one alternative improvement measure this is not the improvement itself (which is made by the advisor manually modifying the model in the way they see fit), but provides the text that describes the modification(s) for inclusion on the Action Plan. These alternative measures are defined and managed using the Alternative Measures tab. By default, there will be no alternative improvement measures defined when a scenario is created: Attempting to close the Building & System Data window using the OK button will display a warning message, as you will not be able to produce the Action Plan without defining an alternative improvement measure: To create the alternative measure, click the Add New Measure link at the top-right of the tab. This will create a new editing pane representing the alternative measure: 18

20 The key feature of this is the Action Plan Item field the text entered here will appear on the Action Plan to represent the alternative measure. This text must clearly identify the nature of the improvement and, where possible, the extent of its application and effect. A detailed description of the changes must also be entered into the Description field to allow tracking of the alternative measure(s) in the model. For example: Note: the newly-created measure pane will appear in a cream background and with Not Simulated displayed at the bottom-right this indicates that the measure has not yet been simulated to generate an Action Plan. It will not be possible to add a further alternative measure until the Action Plan has been generated for this measure by carrying out a Section 63 assessment simulation (the Add New Measure link will be disabled). Once the measure is defined and suitable text entered, Building & System Data should be closed with the OK button and the model should then be modified appropriately for the measure that was just added. Generating the Action Plan Once the model has been appropriately modified for the defined alternative measure, the draft Action Plan can be generated. This will perform a Section 63 assessment simulation in the same way as that for the Prescribed Measures in the original model. To do so, click the Generate action plan button on the Section 6 (2015) Scotland Analysis tab below the viewport: When clicked, this button will start an Apache DSM simulation of the model with the selected prescribed improvement measures (if any) applied. 19

21 Once the simulation is completed (this may take some time, depending on the size and complexity of your building model) and the results file downloaded, the Action Plan will be generated and the Results tab will be automatically activated: The Results tab will display the target annual savings values for both CO 2 and Energy the savings for the Prescribed Measures (as seen in the original source project) will be displayed first, followed by the savings for the current scenario. If the savings for the scenario are equivalent to or greater than that for the Prescribed Measures, they will be displayed on a green background otherwise, they will display on a red background. Note that you can hover over the values with the mouse cursor to see the comparative values of the prescribed measures and the alternative measures: To view the draft Action Plan, click the View Action Plan button this will open the action plan in your default PDF viewer application. 20

22 You can also view the Action Plan using the Content Manager select Content Manager from the Tools menu in the VE. Reviewing the Action Plan The draft Action Plan for an alternative scenario has some key differences from that of the Prescribed Measures: For a scenario, the Accept prescriptive improvements row is marked with an N this indicates that one or more alternative measures are being used. These measures and their resulting savings for CO 2 and energy are shown in the Alternative Improvement Measures section the savings values are 21

23 shown in green (if they are equivalent to or greater than the savings with the prescriptive improvement measures only) or in red (if they are less than the savings with the prescriptive improvement measures only). Note that the rounding of the values in the action plan may be different compared to that used on the Results tab. Each of the selected prescriptive improvement measures (i.e. those that were ticked in the Selected column of the Prescriptive Measures tab in Building & System Data) will be listed here, prefixed by Prescribed:. The alternative measure(s) are then listed this is the text that was entered for Action Plan Item in the Alternative Measures tab. Finally, the CO 2 and energy savings for the alternative measures (including the selected prescriptive measures) are displayed these correspond to the values on the Results tab in the VE (though they may be rounded differently) and will be green if the savings are equivalent to or greater than the prescriptive measures alone, and red otherwise. Based on the results here, it may be necessary to modify the alternative measure and model (if the savings were insufficient) or to add another alternative measure to attempt further savings. The Alternative Measures tab in Building & System Data will allow the addition of a new measure, or deletion/edit of the existing one. Reviewing Savings for the Alternative Measure Following completion of the Section 63 assessment for the alternative scenario and generation of the draft Action Plan, the alternative measure pane in Building & System Data is updated. The measure will display the savings over the actual building without any measures (i.e. the state represented by the EPC), including individual energy savings values (where appropriate) for Heating, Cooling, Auxiliary, Lighting and DHW. When the alternative improvement measure(s) results in equivalent or increased savings (compared to using only the identified prescriptive measures in the original source project), the measure pane will be shown with a green background: If one or both of the total savings values were worse than those achieved with the prescriptive measures only, the reduced saving value(s) would be shown in red and the pane would be shown with a red background: 22

24 Adding A New Measure If the total savings values were increased (shown in green) and following consultation with the building owner (or their delegated third party), the advisor may want to add a further alternative improvement measure to achieve further savings. This can be done by clicking the Add New Measure link at the top-right again once clicked, a new measure pane will appear above the existing measure(s): As before, you must enter suitable text into the Action Plan Item and Description fields. Note that the text can only be edited for the top (i.e. most recently added) measure the text in earlier measure(s) is greyed out. With a new measure added, you would close Building & System Data with the OK button, make the appropriate modification(s) to the model, then follow the same process as detailed previously (see Generating the Action Plan). This iterative approach of assessment should be followed until a suitable set of savings measures is achieved and agreed with the building owner (or representative). Deleting an Existing Measure If you find that a defined measure does not provide sufficient savings, you can remove it by clicking on the button in the measure: A warning confirmation will be displayed to ensure that you have not accidentally chosen to delete the measure. If the measure that was clicked is not the most recent measure, all more recent measures than it will also be deleted. IMPORTANT: Deleting the measure does NOT undo any changes made in the model to implement that measure you must manually undo the relevant modifications to the model. Notes on Savings Values 1. It is possible for an individual energy saving to be reduced, but for the total energy saving to still be an overall increase in this case, the individual value would appear in red, but the total saving value would be green. 23

25 2. A savings value can also appear as negative in other words, the use of the selected prescriptive and/or alternative measures has increased the energy usage (thus causing a decreased saving). However, if this is equivalent to (or improves upon) the saving value from the prescriptive measures only in the original source project, it will still appear in green. 3. If the mouse cursor is hovered over a savings value, a tooltip will be displayed to indicate the increased or decreased saving relative to using the prescriptive measures in the original source project: 4. Where a dash (-) is shown for an individual energy saving breakdown value, this means that the original source project did not include energy usage for this type. 24

26 Managing Scenarios It is possible to have multiple alternative scenarios defined within a single model. This allows for experimentation with different combinations of measures to determine which can offer the best result, and also allows the results (.aps) files from each scenario to be compared against one another using VistaPro this is because the results are all stored in the original source project s Vista directory. Where multiple scenarios exist, they will all be listed within the Scenario dropdown. The active scenario is always displayed with a tick - if there s no scenario active, Prescribed Measures will be ticked. To activate a scenario, simply select its item in the menu. When a scenario is selected in Section 63 it will automatically become active if VE Compliance is entered for a model in Section 63 simulation mode likewise, it will be automatically deactivated by switching to a different module, regulation or simulation mode. An alert is shown in both of these situations as an added visual indicator: Exporting the Active Scenario It is possible to export the active scenario as a new VE project this allows it to function as a standalone VE project, no longer connected to its original source project. To export, select the Export <scenario name> menu item from the Scenario dropdown. This will display a window that will prompt for the project name and the location to export it to (a directory matching the project name will be created at that location). There is also a checkbox that allows the exported project to be automatically opened once exported this is unticked by default. Note that when exporting, the selected prescribed measures in Building & System Data will be applied to the exported model depending on the measures, this may make modifications to rooms, Apache Systems and constructions. Details on the modifications that are done for each measure are given in Appendix B: Automatic Triggers for Prescriptive Measures. 25

27 Deleting the Active Scenario If the active scenario is no longer required, it can be deleted by selecting the Delete <scenario name> menu item from the drop-down. This will display a confirmation message to ensure you don t accidentally delete a scenario you need: There is also a checkbox at the bottom-left to allow a project backup archive to be created prior to the deletion this option is unchecked by default. Note that this archive will not include any results file for the scenario. If Yes is clicked in response to this message, the scenario will be deleted and Prescribed Measures will be reactivated. Deleting all Scenarios As well as deleting the currently active scenario, there is also a shortcut to allow all defined scenarios to be deleted. If the Prescribed Measures setting is active, the Delete item in the menu will appear as Delete All Scenarios (this function can also be accessed whilst a scenario is active by holding down the CTRL key when clicking on the Scenario drop-down). As with the single scenario case, this will display a confirmation message to ensure you don t accidentally delete scenarios you need: If Yes is clicked in response to this message, all scenarios will be deleted and Prescribed Measures will be reactivated. 26

28 Finalising the Assessment Once a suitable set of alternative measures has been implemented in a scenario and agreed and accepted as a single package of improvements for implementation in the physical building, the Planned date of completion field on the Section 63 tab in Building & System Data should be updated appropriately and a new draft Action Plan generated (by clicking the Generate Action Plan button). This Action Plan should then be lodged on the Scottish EPC Register. Updating the EPC Once the improvement works have been completed on the building, a new EPC must be generated that reflects the improvements this cannot be done directly within the alternative scenario (as it is only active when the Section 63 simulation mode is selected). Instead, the scenario should be exported as a new project and the EPC generated using that project: 1. With the scenario active, select Export <scenario name> item from the Scenario dropdown menu. Enter a suitable name and location for the exported project (do not attempt to replace the original source project) and ensure that the Open project after exporting option is ticked, then click OK. 2. Once the exported project has opened in the VE, select VE Compliance from the Applications list. 3. If the Section 6 (2015) - Scotland regulation is not active, select it from the Regs dropdown on the toolbar. Likewise, select ApacheSim EPC from the simulation modes dropdown if it is not already active. 4. Examine the model set-up to confirm it includes the relevant alternative measures that were implemented in the building (as well as the selected prescriptive measures). 5. In Building & System Data, ensure that the assessor and building inspection date are correct do not change any other data. 6. Generate the EPC as normal. Once completed, the updated EPC can be lodged on the Scottish EPC Register. Generating the final Action Plan Once the updated EPC has been generated using an exported project and lodged on the Scottish EPC Register, you must return to the original source project (which includes the alternative scenario) to complete the Action Plan process. Once reloaded, select VE Compliance from the Applications list. If you set a different inspection date for the EPC in the previous steps, you should first update this date in this project s EPC settings select ApacheSim EPC from the Simulation Mode dropdown on the toolbar and then update the Inspection Date value on the Building Regs tab of Building & System Data. Once done, you can then select ApacheSim Section 63 again. Ensure that the relevant scenario is active, then click the Building & System Data button. The Section 63 tab in Building & System Data should then be updated as follows: 1. Enter the RRN of the newly lodged EPC into the EPC Report Reference Number (RRN) field 2. Tick the Has the Section 63 action plan been completed? option 3. Enter the current date into the Actual completion date of the Section 63 action plan field 27

29 Click OK to apply the changes and then click the Generate Action Plan button again once the simulation is completed, the final draft Action Plan is created and can be lodged on the register. Once lodged, this final Action Plan acts as the document of confirmation of improvement, as required under the regulations. For details on lodging the Action Plan on the register, see Appendix C: Lodging on the Scottish EPC Register. 28

30 Appendix A: Frequently Asked Questions Q: Why can t I see the Section 63 regulation mode in the VE? A: As Section 63 is associated to Section 6 (2015), it does not appear as a standalone regulation mode in the Regs dropdown of VE Compliance instead, it is a simulation mode of Section 6 (2015) Scotland regulation mode. If ApacheSim Section 63 does not appear as a simulation mode when Section 6 (2015) Scotland is selected, you do not have a licence key for it. Please contact keys@iesve.com for assistance with licensing issues. Q: I get an error when trying to select a previously created alternative scenario what s happened? A: The scenarios are stored as.vsn files within the Scenarios directory of the project folder if the relevant file for a scenario is missing or corrupted, an error will be displayed when you try to select the scenario from the Scenarios dropdown: If you click the See Details button on the error message, an indication will be given on the cause of the error: If this error appears, it will generally be indicative of a missing or corrupted VSN file. In the case where the file still exists, contact support@iesve.com with details of the displayed message for further guidance. Note: if the scenario cannot be activated by the VE when entering VE Compliance (or when entering Section 63 mode if the scenario was previously active), an alert will be displayed: Clicking More Information on this alert will then display the full error message shown previously. 29

31 Q: I get an error when clicking the Generate Action Plan button what s happened? A: In order to generate an Action Plan, the following pre-requisites apply: - The EPC Report Reference Number (RRN) must be entered into the Section 63 tab in Building & System Data - The actual and notional results (.aps) files for the EPC must exist in the project s Vista directory - The Section 63 Action Plan PDF must not be opened in another application For alternative scenarios, these additional pre-requisites also apply: - At least one measure must be defined on the Alternative Measures tab in Building & System Data - The Section 63 results (.aps) file for the Prescribed Measures must also exist in the project s Vista directory (i.e. you must have completed a Section 63 assessment for the Prescribed Measures) If any of these pre-requisites are not met, an error will be displayed when the button is clicked. The error message should indicate which issue needs to be addressed. Q: My scenario is displaying an alert indicating it is outdated what does this mean? A: The scenario represents a snapshot of the original source project at the time the scenario was created as the scenario is meant to still represent the same building, some basic integrity checks are performed when the scenario becomes active. If these checks fail, an alert is displayed: Similarly, an error will be displayed if you click Generate Action Plan: 30 The most common cause of this would be modifying the geometry or building data of the original source model after the scenario was created (adding new rooms, deleting or changing the area of existing rooms, changing the EPC data in Building & System Data), or by modifying

32 the data in the original source model such that it now uses a different set of triggered prescriptive improvement measures to that in scenario. In these cases, the scenario no longer accurately represents the same building, so you cannot use it for Section 63 analysis. You should instead create a new scenario (which will be based upon the current state of the original source model) and re-apply the alternative measures appropriately. IMPORTANT: You should not make modifications to the original source model after creating a scenario. Q: I don t have access to the VE project that was used to lodge the EPC for a building can I complete a Section 63 assessment for the building using the VE? A: No this is not possible. In order to complete the assessment and calculate the savings targets appropriately, the VE needs access to the results files from the EPC run these are intrinsically linked to the project. You should contact the assessor who originally lodged the EPC using the VE in order to get access to the source project. If this is also impossible, a new VE project would need to be created to represent the building and a new EPC generated and lodged for it first. Q: Can I complete a Section 63 assessment in the VE using SBEM? A: No the Section 63 assessment must be completed using ApacheSim in the VE. 31

33 Appendix B: Automatic Triggers for Prescriptive Measures The following logic is applied within the VE to determine when a prescriptive measure applies, and if so, what modifications are made for that measure. Measure Trigger Action Central Time Heating Control Lighting Controls Draught-stripping Windows & Doors Hot Water Storage Insulation Lamp Replacement Boiler Replacement Roof Insulation An Apache System is in-use but does not have all of the following Heating System Controls (see System Controls 1 tab): - Central Time Control - Local Time Control - Optimum Start-Stop Control A room is included for analysis but: - does not have Local Manual Switching (even though the room s activity type would support it), and/or - does not use Photoelectric Switching when the room has external windows and/or rooflights Infiltration Rate of Actual Building for inuse room types exceeds the equivalent Infiltration Rate if Building Air Permeability was 14 m 3 /(h m 2 ). An Apache System is in-use and marked as a DHW storage system specified by insulation type with but the type is set to Uninsulated. A room uses an internal gain of type Fluorescent Lighting with Input Mode set to Inference, and Lamp Type set to Tungsten/Halogen. An Apache System is in-use with Heat Source as LTHW Boiler, MTHW Boiler or HTHW Boiler, but is marked as being more than 15 years old (see Heating System tab). A room of type Unheated Roof is included for analysis and has loft access, and the roof construction it is assigned has a U-value > 1.0 W/m 2 K Turn on Central Time Control for the Apache System in the System Controls tab, and also increase its generator seasonal efficiency by 1% in the Heating System 2 tab (this will also adjust the Seasonal efficiency value on the Heating 3 tab) If the NCM activity type supports it, set Local Manual Switching to be ticked for the room. If the room has external windows and/or rooflights, set Photoelectric Options to be ticked, Control Type to be Switching, Parasitic Power to be non-default, 0.3 W/m 2 Tick the Override default values option for Infiltration Rates and reduce the rates for in-use room types by 10% 4. Set Insulation Type of the storage system for the Apache System to be Loose jacket and Thickness to be 80mm (see Hot Water 5 tab). Set Lamp Type of the Fluorescent Lighting internal gain to be Fluorescent Compact. Set the generator seasonal efficiency for the Apache System appropriate for its selected Energy Source: - Natural Gas: LPG: Biogas: Oil: Coal/Anthracite/Smokeless: Dual-Fuel Appliances: Biomass: Waste Heat: 0.75 Create and assign a new copy of each roof construction, adjusting the U- value to 0.15 W/m 2 K by addition/modification of an insulation layer. 1 System Controls tab of UK NCM Wizard within Apache Systems 2 Heating System tab of UK NCM Wizard within Apache Systems 3 Heating tab within Apache Systems 4 Building Regs tab within Building & System Data (EPC mode) - note that this cannot be done manually in the scenario. 5 Hot Water tab within Apache Systems 32

34 Appendix C: Lodging on the Scottish EPC Register The Section 63 functionality within the VE allows the production of draft Action Plans following assessment of a model. However, it is only when the Action Plan is lodged on the Scottish EPC Register that it is valid. Note that whenever the draft Action Plan PDF is created, a corresponding XML file is also created it is this XML file which is lodged on the Scottish EPC Register site to generate the real Action Plan. To find the XML for lodgement: 1) Complete the generation of the draft Action Plan using Section 63 mode in VE Compliance 2) Open the Action Plan in your PDF viewer by clicking the View Action Plan button. 3) At the top-left of the Action Plan, take note of the Action Plan RRN value this will be a 20- digit number, separated by hyphens: 4) In the VE, select View Results Folder from the Building Compliance menu 5) A Windows Explorer window will open at the Regs\Section6_2015\Apache\S63 directory for the project (this is where the Action Plan is stored) 6) Look for the XML file that corresponds to the Action Plan RRN number (ignore any that start with an underscore this is a backup from a previous assessment): 7) Visit log in and follow the instructions there to upload this XML file as a Section 63 Action Plan. Once lodged, the final Action Plan PDF can be downloaded (if desired). 33