To understand the feasibility of a the various renewable energy technologies that exist it is essential to have an idea of the energy demand of the development. There are a number of ways to establish the energy demand:
- Use benchmark data
- Use the Standard Assessment Procedure (SAP) for domestic units
- Use the SBEM methodology for non-residential buildings
Benchmark data should be used with caution. The energy performance of new buildings has improved dramatically over the past decade and using benchmark data for new buildings may lead to a significant over-estimate of the energy demand of the building.
Estimating the energy demand for development projects with one or only a small number of buildings it is often more effective to undertake specific calculations using either the SAP or the SBEM methodology.