The Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) has launched the delayed consultation on changes to the Standard Assessment Procedure (SAP), the tool for assessing the energy performance of homes.<br> <br> Government wishes to improve the accuracy of energy performance assessments and industry has been asked to respond to five suggested amendments.<br> These include issues relating to carbon emission factors, use of regional weather data and default seasonal performance factors for heat pumps.<br> <br> SAP will support the changes to Part L 2013, the consultation for which was imminent – along with other Building Regulation changes – as Housebuilder<br> went to press.<br> <br> HBF's technical director Dave Mitchell voiced concerns that the consultation had not been launched with software: "It's hard to measure the magnitude of<br> any changes without it. If SAP is not accurate, that's a major contributor to the design versus as-built issue."<br> <br> The Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) has also issued two long-awaited consultations related to the Flood and Water<br> Management Act in England.<br> <br> The national build standards consultation closed on January 31.<br> <br> The sustainable drainage provisions consultation which outlines proposals to carry out the requirements for sustainable drainage systems (SUDS) …