A systematic, evidence-based framework for ranking every possible energy-improvement measure and turning the ranked list into three costed, cumulative implementation pathways. Applied consistently across every DEAR and NDEAR advice report we lodge.
DEAR (Domestic Energy Advice Report) uses RdSAP 10 for residential dwellings. NDEAR (Non-Domestic Energy Advice Report) uses iSBEM for commercial properties, including owner-occupier engagements with specific operational objectives.
We establish a baseline RdSAP or SBEM model and then model each candidate improvement measure separately against it. Measures are ranked across five criteria: EPC points gained, energy saving (kWh/m²/yr), CO₂ reduction, cost saving (£/yr) and payback period. Non-domestic measures also carry the MEES 7-year payback test flag.
Top-ranked measures are grouped into three cumulative implementation stages: Raft 1 (priority measures achieving current minimum compliance), Raft 2 (Band C mid-term target) and Raft 3 (deep retrofit toward Band A/B). Each Raft is re-modelled as a stacked scenario — arithmetic addition of isolated League Table results is not valid because measure interactions in SBEM and RdSAP are non-linear.
BER (Building Emission Rate) reflects the actual as-modelled building performance independent of the notional target. TER (Target Emission Rate) only shows compliance headroom against a moving target. BER gives a cleaner comparison for measure impact.
Every advice report we issue carries plain-English notes on RdSAP/SBEM model limitations (standard occupancy assumptions, SBEM lighting anomalies, air-permeability defaults) and on cost/fuel-price uncertainty. Independent consultancy means declaring what the model can and cannot do.
Every report goes through a six-step QA process: baseline verification, measure-isolation verification, metric extraction cross-check, League Table anomaly review, Raft cumulation verification, and figure-to-model traceability. Assessments are lodged under Quidos accreditation QUID201039.
BER (Building Emission Rate) reflects actual as-modelled performance independent of the notional target building. TER (Target Emission Rate) only shows compliance headroom against a moving target. For advice work — where we are comparing measure impact — BER gives a cleaner apples-to-apples view.
Because measure interactions in SBEM and RdSAP are non-linear. Stacking prematurely obscures which measure actually delivered the improvement. Isolation lets us rank fairly across five criteria, then re-stack cumulatively as Rafts for real-world implementation planning.
A one-number score always privileges one dimension (usually carbon or cost) and hides trade-offs. Landlords care about £/yr; regulators care about EPC band; carbon reporting cares about kgCO₂/m²/yr; investors care about payback. Ranking across all five surfaces the measure that wins on the criterion the client cares about most.
The Minimum Energy Efficiency Standard (MEES) for non-domestic property requires improvement measures to pay back within 7 years to be enforceable. Our League Table flags every non-domestic measure against this test so landlords can filter compliance-mandatory measures from optional carbon-abatement measures.
DEAR uses RdSAP 10 for residential dwellings; NDEAR uses iSBEM for non-domestic (commercial) properties. Both apply the League Table + Rafts methodology, but the metrics differ: DEAR ranks by SAP points, kWh/m²/yr, tonnes CO₂/yr, £/yr and payback. NDEAR ranks by SBEM asset rating, BER, total energy, £/yr and payback with the 7-year test flag. NDEAR also covers non-MEES engagements — for example, owner-occupiers looking at cold rooms, carbon reporting or plant-replacement decisions — with complementary heat-loss calculations added where the brief requires.
No. Costs are indicative benchmarks from 2024–2026 market data. Every Raft report tells you to obtain three contractor quotes before committing. Where a client provides real quotes, we replace the indicative figures and re-run the Raft calculation.
Our energy assessments are lodged under Quidos accreditation (QUID201039). The League Table + Rafts methodology itself is a proprietary Energy Performance Direct process — publicly documented on this page for transparency, and applied consistently across every DEAR and NDEAR report we lodge.
A standard EPC recommendation list gives a fixed set of measures with no ranking, no interaction modelling, and no capital cost figures. Our League Table + Rafts approach ranks every measure across five criteria, tests them individually then cumulatively, and reports three costed implementation pathways with modelled band outcomes. It's an independent consultancy output, not a compliance form.
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