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SAP Scientific Integrity Group (SAPSIG)

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The SAP Scientific Integrity Group maintains and protects the integrity, coherence and impartiality of the SAP model.

SAPSIG

This website, maintained for historical purposes, provides information related to the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero’s (DESNZ) Standard Assessment Procedure Scientific Integrity Group (SAPSIG). The Home Energy Model (HEM) is a calculation methodology designed to assess the energy performance of homes. It will replace SAP and its first version will be implemented alongside the Future Homes Standard. DESNZ is currently exploring technical governance requirements for HEM. In the interim, SAPSIG will continue to exist in its current format for SAP.

More information on HEM can be found here:

The Group’s main terms of reference are:

To safeguard the scientific integrity of the SAP model
To ensure the SAP methodology is consistent and robust, within the limits of accuracy needed for the purpose of SAP
To avoid uneven development (i.e. excessively detailed treatment in some areas while others remain relatively crude)
To balance complexity against practicalities (the practicalities being cost of development and future maintenance, time and effort needed for a SAP assessment, training and skills level of assessors)
To disregard specific commercial and political considerations and ensure they do not influence decisions
To work with BIES’ SAP contractors to amend existing processes.

You can view and download the full SAPSIG terms of reference here.

SAPSIG members

Members of the Group are expected to possess a clear understanding of the role and scope of SAP and give feedback and recommendations on the principles to be followed whenever it is to be altered. This will apply to any review of existing treatment and to any extension of scope as provided by the Appendix Q application route. The Group’s feedback and recommendations inform BRE and DESNZ regarding the development of SAP but are not binding upon them (for example, it is conceivable there could be policy considerations that would mean that a specific recommendation should not be implemented).

The members are volunteers who are not paid for undertaking the Group’s activities. Matters raised in correspondence will generally only be discussed during the meetings and, subject to any limitations that might be imposed by confidentiality considerations, will be recorded in the minutes. The minutes will be accessible on this webpage.

The Group currently has 8 members, who are:

Martin Searle
Neil Cutland
Simon Lannon
Richard Fitton
Ashley Bateson
Kevin Lomas
Stuart Fairlie
Adam Tilford

The members, chair, secretariat and any invitees are required to behave in a scrupulously independent and impartial manner. Consequently, in their group roles, they must not represent the interests of any other bodies. They have all confirmed that they are not subject to any conflict of interests and have no prospects of direct or indirect commercial gain from the Group’s recommendations or decisions. If a conflict of interest or prospect of commercial gain were to arise in future they have a duty to inform the other members.