What are SAP ratings?

SAP stands for Standard Assessment Procedure, also known as Energy Ratings. Houses are rated from 0 - 100, 0 being very inefficient and 100 being highly efficient.

SAP ratings are the Government's standard methodology for home energy rating. SAP uses SEDBUK (Seasonal Efficiency of Domestic Boilers in the UK) figures to calculate the energy needed for heating and hot water systems. SAP ratings are used by local authorities and housing improvement programmes to assess the energy efficiency of both new and old housing. The Building Regulations require a SAP assessment to be carried out on all new dwellings.
(Source: DEFRA, April 2006)

From April 2007, the Home Information Pack will come into force, this will require anybody selling their house to have a log-book of the property and all the controlled services within. A further part of the Home Information Pack is that all properties will require an Energy Rating to be undertaken.