19. Building Regulations England Part L (BREL) Report - NEW SECTION

The Building Regulations England Part L (BREL) report requires a certain amount of planning and coordination by the housebuilder. A series of photographs for each new home on a development is required to record their construction. Anyone can take the photographs, but they must be digital with geolocation enabled to confirm the location, date and time of each image. The photos must be made available to your On Construction Domestic Energy Assessor (OCDEA), the consultant who undertakes the energy calculations using the Standard Assessment Procedure (SAP) and provided to the homeowner as part of the handover information.  The photographs provide evidence that the building details have been completed in accordance with the design stage SAP assumptions and are intended to help provide a more robust energy assessment of the completed home (the ‘as-built’ SAP).  

It is essential that the housebuilder agrees the requirements and details that need to be evidenced with the energy assessor and then coordinates the taking of photographs with the construction programme and the sequencing of various trades.   

The compilation of photographs, titling and tagging with time and location information can be automated and simplified with one of several phone or tablet applications. Similar Apps are now widely available for site health and safety management so most housebuilders will be familiar with the available products.  

Problems arise when critical details are covered up before evidence has been gathered, or if the energy assessor decides that the image is not clear enough or is not revealing the construction in sufficient detail. To overcome this the builder needs to plan their build schedule and photography carefully and communicate regularly with the energy assessor.  The energy assessor should be appointed with the expectation that they will be actively involved in the process providing a service through to completion rather than appointed for a one-off assessment. 

A signed BREL report will help the process for achieving final approval and confirm that the as-built energy assessment will accurately reflect the construction and services installed, which should provide valuable evidence of conformity if there are customer complaints after handover and in the resolution of any latent defects claims. Although the process adds to the administrative burden it should be remembered that compliance with the Building Regulations is the housebuilder’s responsibility.  

Things that can go wrong:

• Photographic evidence being missed – Approved Document L assumes the process will be followed 100% of the time; 

• BREL report being fixed and not allowing energy assessors to flag evidence that has not been received. 

Future-proofing recommendations:

• DESIGN: Ensure that the details provided for the design stage SAP assessment are the ones you intend to build; 
• INSTALL: Avoid changes to design and materials and avoid equipment substitutions unless you are certain these will improve the SAP score. Always check with the energy assessor if in doubt; 
• COMMISSION: Liaise with the energy assessor to agree requirements for the details shown and the quality of photographic records.