Useful reminders on SBEM and NEAP Rules, advising assessors how to check their work, also covering some common mistakes seen by auditors.

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2. This event is being recorded
Housekeeping
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Attendees are muted with cameras off
Questions submitted by clicking Q&A bubble
Questions will be answered at end of event
An FAQ will be created from all questions submitted and shared
A recording and slides will be distributed after the event

3. By Aidan Brosnan BER Auditor
Non Domestic
BER Workshop No.2
Checking your work

4. What this workshop will cover
• It will show assessor’s how to check their work
– Quickly
– Structured way
– Cut through fog of data
• Will give useful reminders on SBEM and NEAP rules
• Will cover common mistakes seen by the auditor
– Common misunderstandings
– Will show impact of these with an example audit
– Based on existing, simple buildings and mostly
default entries
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5. Purpose of this workshop
• Improve the accuracy of BERs for your clients
• Eliminate simple errors that can have a big impact
• Make assessors less apprehensive of audit
• Give a better understanding of which errors make
the biggest impact
• General refresher course on SBEM software
• Mostly based on iSBEMie but will include GiSBEM,
IES and Design Builder
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6. Colour coding of this presentation
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Correct, or looks correct
Uncertain, to be checked later
Incorrect, or VERY unusual
Information, Information

7. Let’s do an Audit!
• Auditor is given an BER file but no information about the building
• Look up General Tab
Of most interest:
• Building Type
• Eircode
• Year built
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8. Quick note about Eircodes
• iSBEMie V5.5h needs to have Eircode to run
• Remember to check this first if a 3.5b file that has been converted crashes
• Maybe you have set up a new project and forgot to enter it.
• Check Err file which can help find an out of range value causing a crash
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• A missing Eircode will result in the below message when the Err file is opened
• Err file can help identify other problems causing crashing
• A “healthy file” will have an empty Err file when opened.

9. Let’s go visit on Google street view
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Construction date is very important
• First impression, 1997 looks reasonable
• NEAP survey guide: planning, owner knowledge, ESB
meter, style
• 2 sources of information needed
• Cross check with OSI Geohive (next slide)
• Google street view has a time travel function Dublin or
other city areas will have more dates
• Bing maps also useful
• Google and Bing are not sources in NEAP survey guide

10. Back in time with OSI Geohive
• 1995
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• 2000 • 2005
You can use Geohive or similar to cross-check a building age
Geohive accepts Eircodes which speeds up finding building

11. First Impression, before examining BER data file (auditors thoughts!)
Auditors first impressions of this 1997 retail & office
building are:
– Retail HVAC: might be split system, or electric heating
– Office HVAC: might be boiler or electric
– Lights might be LED, T-5 or T-8, maybe tungsten spots, too
new for T-12
– Retail means there are zones with display lights
– Retail means display glazing
– How water will most likely be electric undersink
– Ventilation will be a toilet fan at most, not expecting a MVHR
– Elements most likely to be picked from the data base
• Always check the NEAP Survey Guide A4.1 to make sure
you pick the correct building regulation
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12. Checking data input
• File can be examined using the software directly
• iSBEMie and GiSBEM via the Project Database etc
• IES has tabular listing of defined elements
• Design Builder has “Model data - grid view”
• Common to all software is the useful Data Reflection Report (DRR)
– Can be accessed from ratings page - iSBEMie or GiSBEM
– Or can be accessed from project folder – ALL SOFTWARE
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OR find Data Reflection Report
here, (IES, Design Builder)
See pdf with the _dr.pdf name
Click here after
calculation

13. iSBEMie Project Database – items in red look wrong
– items in Orange will need to be looked at once drawings & photos arrive
• Built 1997 so Auditor is expecting the External elements to be Building Regs 1991
• Internal elements to be uninsulated unless there is evidence otherwise
– Internal wall heavy – “1991 Regulations (Ireland)”
– Roof - Pitched Roofs Tile, slate and similar covering - 1997 Regulations (Ireland)
– Velux - Wood/PVC Frame, 2017 Part L - 4-12-4, coated, air filled
– DG Windows - Wood/PVC Frame, 1991 & 1997 Part L - 4-12-4 low-e, air filled
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14. Check elements were assigned correctly
• Assessors take care to define a particular element but can then forget
to assign it.
• There are several ways to check this depending on the software used
• iSBEMie – check by clicking on the “assigned” sub-tab
• GiSBEM – Examine the project report
• IES – check tables and assigned elements
• Design Builder – “Model data - grid view”
In our example Audit a Velux window
has not been assigned anywhere
Mistake?
Will need to await Assessor’s sketch
Or check on a site Audit
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Should be a window here?
Data Reflection report is also useful for
Checking object assignment (next few slides)

15. Introduction to the Data Reflection Report- page 1- building
details
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1 Building address etc
2 Assessor details
4 Client details
5 No of Zones, walls
windows, areas,
HVAC, PV…etc
6 Opaque U & kM *
7 Windows*
8
2
4
1
5 6
7
9
3
3 Building Area
8 PF, sub-metering, DH
9 Notes at start
Unassigned elements will not appear in 6 & 7 (example audit no Velux listed here)

16. Introduction to the Data Reflection Report - page 2 HWS + others
• Page 2 can have details of:
• HWS, PV, Solar Thermal, CHP, Wind Turbine
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• If system not fitted will not be printed
• Most existing buildings will just have HWS on page 2
• A good way to spot a missing PV or unintended PV!
PV
HWS
CHP WT
ST
HWS
HWS

17. Introduction to the Data Reflection Report page 3*- HVAC
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Good way to check variable speed pumping, HVAC efficiencies, SEER, fuel….etc
*Building with more systems will run on to page 4 and sometimes beyond….

18. Introduction to the Data Reflection Report - Zone Pages
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6 HVAC, Fans, SFP,
HR
2 Zone activity
4 Display Lighting
8 Thermal Bridging
9 HWS & deadleg
10 Walls, roof, floor
11
7
5
6
8
9
10
12
2
1 Name and area
11 Windows
12 Optional zone notes
1
3
4
7 Lighting and control
5 Air Permeability
3 Zone Height

19. Example Audit: Using the Data Reflection Report - Heights
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This building has 8 zones 4 per floor.
Noticed that both ground and top floor have the exact same height of 2.9m, so all zones 2.9m high
Might be an error?
Will need to check Assessor’s notes or check on site.

20. Example Audit: Data Reflection Report- Check zone & floors
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Zone 3 – Looks OK
• Zone and floor areas match
• GF connects to UND
• Ceiling CAS
• Auditor will check drawings
& notes when they arrive
Zone 4 – error
• No floor
• No ceiling
• Zone unlikely to have
no floor or ceiling!!
Wall, Wall, Wall, Wall, Missing, Missing
Wall, Wall, Wall, Wall, Ceiling, Floor

21. Example Audit: Data Reflection Report- Check zone & floors
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Zone 8 – Areas don’t match
• 20m2 is an initial value for zone area in iSBEMie
• If you see 20m2 it probably means you have
forgotten to enter the actual value
Zone 7 – possible error
• A first floor connects to UND
• Might be an error?
• Might be built into a hill?
• Will need to check Assessor’s
notes or check on site.

22. Example Audit: - Data Reflection Report - Check windows
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Zone 7 – is an office
• The office has no window
• Window details should be listed here
• Seems unusual for an office?
• Will need to check Assessor’s notes or
check on site.
Example of window
details for another zone.
This is from zone 3
Missing
window ?

23. Example Audit: - Check for display windows
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Zone 8 of Small shop unit – Sales area general
• Shop window is single glazed
• Single glazed better for display of products and services
• Such windows are defined as display windows
• Are not indicated on Data Reflection Report
• Auditor or Assessor must Check in software
• Ticking box will generally improve a rating
• A window is ticked as “display” will not be examined for Part L
• A window is ticked as “display” is not penalised in the BER calculation
• Refer to NEAP Survey Guide page 34 for guidance

24. Example Audit: Data Reflection Report- Check walls
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Zone 2 – Default wall
• One of the walls is called “Default construction for walls”
• This comes with iSBEM but is never normally used
• A slip of the mouse wheel when entering data
• “Better” U value than the normal wall in this case
• Can be seen listed in the data reflection report on page 1
• Can then be found somewhere in the zone pages
The impact of an incorrect U value depends on
• What the U value is supposed to be
• Wall area in comparison to the overall envelope area
• Zone conditioned or not
• Efficiency of HVAC
• Zone activity
Screenshot above of iSBEMie “quick envelope”

25. Example Audit: Data Reflection Report - Check for fans
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Zone 8 – is a toilet
• There is no fan
• It has no window
• Window details should be listed here
• Would expect a window or fan
• Will need to check Assessor’s notes or
check on site.
• Could be a missing fan or window?
• Could be correct?
Missing
window ?

26. Example Audit: - Check HVAC
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Zone 8 – is a toilet
• Default Heating Only Electric
Resistance
• This is a transient zone and so
default heat is not applied here
• The allocation of a default system to the toilet was incorrect
• The efficiencies of the split system and the allocation of other systems
can be checked once drawings and survey notes are obtained.

27. Example Audit: - Check HWS
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Building has 2 HW systems defined
• It looks like 2 undersink heaters
have been summed to give 20 litres
• A second system based on natural
gas is also present, assigned to
zones below:
It appears from DRR above the assessor has defined a system for
zones without actual HW outlets, corridors, retail space, office etc.
In iSBEM: A HW system has only been allocated to toilets.
The allocation of a default system to the other zones is incorrect

28. Example Audit: Data Reflection Report- Display lighting
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Zone 8 – Small shop unit – Sales area general
• Sales area general will have display lights assumed by SBEM
• They are assumed tungsten, on 24/7
• Can make a large change to a BER
• Assessors are guided to change default efficacy to that of what is actually installed
• Or if none – change to that of general lighting
• General lighting in this zone happens to be T-5
• If display lights exist and are tungsten then no action is needed
• Will need to check Assessor’s notes or check on site.
• See table 12 in the iSBEM User Guide (book 2) for values

29. Example Audit: Data Reflection Report- Display lighting
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Below is extract from table 12 iSBEMie user guide (vol 2)
Where box is not ticked DRR says lamps not efficient
Entered value now appears on DRR
iSBEM entry field
iSBEM entry field
We select T-5 value so that efficacy of DLs will = general lights

30. Example Audit: - iSBEM Calculation Log
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The calculation log can be viewed in the rating page- It can flag errors
WARNING: ZONE z0/03 is unconditioned but the NCM Activity database identifies this Activity
as Conditioned
WARNING: Total Area of Windows+Doors is bigger than the area of WALL: z0/01/n. Wall area
has been increased to fit.
• In our example Audit the z0/03 is a toilet
so it is OK to have zone without HVAC
• However the second warning suggests a
window has gone in that is too big or a
wall is too small
• Will need to check Assessor’s notes or
check on site. (DRR snip below)

31. Example Audit: - Drawings at last, but look how much we spotted without them!
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• Can now check flagged items
• Can now check element areas

32. Always check the ratings page
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(1) look for excessively
large values. Is Aux
energy reasonable?
2
1
4
3
(2) Lighting a bit high?
Went to 86.35 after display
lighting was adjusted
(4) Is the rating what you expected?
(3) Large values here might
be due to a misplaced
decimal point in an area

33. The list of errors shown in this example from most significant to least
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1. Default “Heating only electric resistance” applied in error to the FF toilet Z1/08
2. Display lighting was not adjusted
3. Shop window is a single glazed display window.
4. Internal heavy walls entered as 1991. Should be uninsulated.
5. Z1/08 area entered is 20m2. Should be 6.09m2.
6. Z0/01/n wall area entered incorrectly. Length used in error instead of area
7. Z1/07 Floor entered as connecting to ground rather than CAS.
8. Velux window on stairs was defined but not assigned.
9. The zone height for the top floor entered as 2.9m but should have been 2.7m.
Other errors has little or no effect.
Magnitude of error is dependant on building but services errors will tend to make
bigger changes that geometry errors.

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1. Cross check building age with OSI if you are unsure
2. Check correct building regs have been applied. (NEAP Survey Guide A4.1)
3. Check window selection frame, gas, gap, low-e (NEAP Survey Guide A4.1)
4. Check if the elements were assigned correctly
5. Examine first 3-4 pages of Data Reflection Report (DRR) systems etc
6. Scan through remainder of DRR looking at:
• Zone type
• Zone areas Vs Roof/floor areas
• All windows gone in?
• All zones gone in!
• Lighting + controls full design, LOR, types?
• Air-test result or correct default
• Fans and ventilation gone in
Summary Checklist

35. Check elements with “Assigned Objects Report”
• Feature in iSBEMie, page for each zone.
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36. Check elements with “Envelope summary”
• Feature in iSBEMie, useful to see what has been entered as you go along.
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37. Non Domestic
BER Workshop No.2
Questions?