The Assessor #7 (Winter '22)

Welcome to the final edition of The Assessor Magazine for 2022 –what a year it has been.

Much has happened since the start of the year – in the political field, economy, and industry – and the pace of change is certainly going to speed up.

First and foremost, Stroma Certification is merging with Elmhurst Energy. If you haven’t heard this news, that insulation in your house is doing a tremendous acoustic job (don’t you love an in-joke). This is big news for our industry and our collective membership, numbering around 10,000 members by the time we have completed the merger. Stuart Fairlie and I, alongside our respective teams, will work flat out over the coming 12 months to bring you the best of both worlds. Whether this is software, expert technical support, or exciting new products and schemes, we will ensure that they benefit our membership.

I am immensely proud of what we have achieved at Stroma Certification, and I am excited about what the future holds in 2023 and beyond as Elmhurst Energy. In a fast-paced and changing industry, you will be in good hands!

The cost of energy and the cost-ofliving crisis has made headline news in 2022. As energy prices continue to increase, more and more people are finding themselves in fuel poverty, and millions are asking how they can save energy and reduce their costs. Consequently, the work we do, the reports we produce, and the information we give have become increasingly important to the government, adjacent sectors, and the consumer. It is more important than ever that we assess and understand our buildings and create viable plans to improve energy performance and reduce carbon emissions. The cheapest, cleanest energy is the energy you don’t use!

In related news, the banks are now using the EPC in their lending and valuation decisions. We have seen reports by NatWest and Rightmove that clearly link energy performance and property value. With this in mind, better access to EPC data, updated regularly, will be crucially important in making good decisions and measuring progress.

It’s been a busy year for the software development team. We have been through a challenging release of SAP 10.2 and SBEM and are now moving toward implementing an update to RdSAP. Staying on top of these changes

Dear Member

and the impacts of updated regulations and methodologies will be crucial.

Looking forward, please remember to complete your CPD log before the end of the year to retain your certified energy assessor status. If you’re running short, take a look at this magazine’s CPD section, highlighting the resources available to you.

Finally, keep an eye out for the upcoming Elmhurst Energy Conference on January 25th in Leicester. My team and I will join our new colleagues and some brilliant and informative speakers to talk about what is happening in our industry and the plans relating to the merger. I look forward to seeing you there!

I wish all Stroma Certification members a Merry Christmas and a happy, relaxing, and healthy New Year. Enjoy the magazine.

Andrew Parkin, Managing Director

INDUSTRY NEWS

Home is Where the Heat Is: Progress Report

The Sustainable Homes and Buildings Coalition has recently launched its Home Is Where The Heat Is: Progress Report. This report reiterates the Coalition’s call to the government to make energy efficiency a national priority and place consumers at the heart of the transition to green homes and buildings. The report calls for five policy developments, as follows:

1. A public information campaign to educate the public on energy-saving measures.

2. Long-term investment signals for the market, including through local area energy planning.

3. EPC reform to ensure all homes sold by 2033 are EPC C at a minimum - while digitising and regularly updating EPCs to make them more useful.

4. The launch of a ‘Help for Energy Efficiency Scheme’ allowing banks to provide lowinterest loans to households to upgrade their properties.

5. The launch of an ‘Energy Saving Stamp Duty Rebate’ which would leverage the trigger point of a house sale for the new owner to have a two-year window to invest in energy efficiency and be able to claim it back against its stamp duty.

Section 6 (Energy) Postponed

The Scottish Government has announced that the implementation date for Section 6 (Energy) 2022 standards has been moved from 1st December 2022 to 1st February 2023.

This move follows a review of the delivery timetable, which highlighted that some energy compliance software developers would struggle to meet the deadline.

The new date will be formalised later this month by a further amendment of the Scottish Building Regulations 2004, and the Scottish Government’s Technical Handbooks Webpage has been updated to reflect the decision.

We will continue to keep all our members informed of any further information or developments. Please get in touch if you have any questions.

GDPR and Privacy Policy:

We would like to remind members of their responsibilities when it comes to Data Protection and the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) requirements. Handling data is likely an everyday occurrence for members; It is vital to ensure that all client information is protected and only used with the correct consent.

More information on GDPR and handling data can be found on the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) website.

ECO+ Consultation

The government has proposed a new £1 billion ECO+ scheme to run alongside ECO4. The scheme aims to deliver energy efficiency measures to low-income households, and to those in the least energy-efficient homes in lower council tax bands.

Stroma Certification is currently reviewing the consultation document and will be responding in due course.

More information can be found on the gov.uk website.

nergy P ositive C hristmas - Winter 2022

Building Regulations & Software

FSAP 10.2: A Successful Launch

A key focus of this year has been on the development and testing of the FSAP software, in line with SAP 10.2. This process involved going through a rigorous approval process, managed by BRE on behalf of BEIS. Our developers are now working hard to ensure Welsh regulations compliance and EPC lodgement.

Access Now: FSAP 10.2 Software

FSAP 10.2 Launched

JUNE JULY AUGUST SEPTEMBER

In line with the SAP 10.2 release on 15th June, we launched Batch 1 of the FSAP 10.2 software. Work now begins on the remaining batches and development features.

Batch 2 Approved

FSAP 10.2 is now approved by BRE for the calculation engine and User Interface for Batch 2 features.

Final Approval

The FSAP 10.2 software achieves final approval by BRE and the government for all batches.

Members’ Vote

Following final approval, we ask for our member’s input on the next stages of development. Thank you to everyone who completed this questionnaire.

Import and Copy Dwelling Function

The Import Function and Copy Dwelling Elements function is now live on the software. A full demonstration of these features is available on FSAP 10.2.

If you have any questions or need technical assistance, please contact: 0345 621 1111, ext. 204 sap@stromacert.com

Its journey so far…

This year, we have introduced a number of key updates and improvements to the RSAP+ software, including a full Retrofit Assessment Report, batch lodgements, and general user interface and functionality enhancements. Development work continues as we look to bring you new features, including the highly requested Legionella Risk Assessment.

Access RSAP+ Now:

Coming soon… Legionella Risk Assessment!

A release date for RdSAP 10 remains unconfirmed. We hope and expect the specification to be ready in the early year but will continue to keep members updated with news and developments.

With no specific details yet released, we can only speculate – with the expectation that significant changes brought in for SAP 10 will roll over into RdSAP. Rest assured that Stroma will support our members through this release, with up-to-date training and CPD to come out in due course.

Our software development team is also on standby to bring you updated RSAP+ software to suit. With typical development taking around 6 months, DEA and Retrofit members could be in possession of the new RSAP 10 software by the end of autumn.

Merger Special

In September we announced that Elmhurst Energy Systems Ltd and Stroma Certification Ltd are to combine. This is a significant and important moment for the Energy Assessment industry and one which will benefit members. The combined resources of the two companies will allow for improved technical support and tools and a stronger representative voice within the industry.

With two such strong organisations coming together the new organisation will have access to more resources than ever before, ensuring that you can receive even greater quality and value from us.

Rest assured that we will keep all our members informed of any changes. We will also continue to bring you industry-leading training, CPD, and software throughout this period and beyond. Take a look at our helpful merger resources below and get in touch if you have any urgent queries.

Merger Survey

Your opinion matters. During this time, we would like to gather as much feedback as possible. You can now have your say by completing our short merger survey.

ACCESS NOW

FAQ Page

Following member feedback, we have compiled a list of frequently asked questions. This page will be updated and shared alongside any changes.

READ NOW

Podcast: S2, E9: Merger Special Andrew Parkin and Stuart Fairlie chat about what the future looks like.

LISTEN NOW

Andrew Parkin, Managing Director, Stroma Certification

What’s coming up this new year?

Beep. Beep… Member Roadshows

The Road Ahead

2022: Highlights

It’s been a year of immense change, exciting new software, and countless celebrations. With so many highlights to choose from, here are our top 3 picks for 2022:

Energy Efficiency Awards

This year’s National Energy Efficiency Awards took place in October and did not disappoint. We are proud to have placed third in the National Data and Software Company of the Year and received a special commendation for National Quality Management, Compliance & Training Company of the Year –Congratulations to Elmhurst for taking home this trophy.

We were also proud sponsors of the National Multi-Measure Project of the Year Award and would like to congratulate the team at Athelhampton House and Gardens for taking home the trophy.

20th Anniversary

A month of celebrations, this September we celebrated the company’s 20th anniversary. Featuring online campaigns, kind messages, and plenty of cake, it was a truly special occasion. We would like to say a final thank you to all our people, partners, and members for supporting us over the last two decades.

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