Sound insulation testing is the assessment of the sound insulation performance of party walls and party floors between different dwellings. Testing is required once the property is nearing final completion and determines if the minimum Building Regulation Approved Document E ‘Resistance to the passage of sound’ standard has been met.
All new and converted dwelling houses and flats for residential purpose require sound testing to Approved Document E standard. This also includes a room or suite of rooms which is not a dwelling house or a flat but which is used by one or more persons to live and sleep.
Generally, a full set of tests is made up of six individual sound tests – two airborne wall tests, two airborne floor tests and two impact floor tests. This is required where flats have both separating walls and floors.
We provide a site checklist with all quotations. The most important considerations are that all windows and doors are fitted, seals and thresholds are fitted and that there is a 240v electrical supply in each room to avoid running extension cables through doors.
Sound insulation performance varies for many reasons. Assuming correct designs and material selection, the most common factor influencing performance is poor workmanship. Detailing is critical in maximising on site performance & the prevention of sound flanking.
Our expert acoustic consultants can review the designs, provide advice and carry out onsite inspections during the build process to check specifically for any workmanship issues that could result in sound testing failure.
The time taken for testing varies with site conditions, but generally a set of tests on houses takes about one to two hours and a set of tests on flats take between two and three hours.
The cost depends upon the number and type of tests required. Please contact us for a free quote.
Where possible, our engineer will provide preliminary test results before leaving the site. We will follow this with a fully documented and signed report which will be emailed to you as a PDF report within 48 hours of your sound test. We can arrange priority 24hr report turnaround where required.
In line with the regulations you are required to carry out remedial works to ensure the development meets the relevant performance requirements and re-test. If you don’t know what to do by way of remedial works then our experienced consultants can advise you.
An EPC is an abbreviated word for Energy Performance Certificate.
An Energy Performance Certificate – or EPC – is a document which sets out the energy efficiency of a property on a system of A to G – A being the most efficient.
An EPC provides an indication of how much it will cost to heat and power a property. It also includes recommendations of energy-efficient improvements, the cost of carrying them out, and the potential savings in pounds and pence that each one could generate.
Energy Performance Certificate is valid for 10 years.
It is a legal requirement to have a valid Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) when a building is sold, rented or constructed.
Your property’s EPC needs to be available to potential buyers as soon as you start to market your property for sale or rent. This will inform people how energy efficient the property is, including any potential savings on fuel payments.
The Department of Finance DoF and district councils have the duty to enforce the requirements of the EPC regulations. District councils enforce in relation to all but their own relevant public buildings in which case DoF is the enforcement authority.
Failure to comply with the regulations or a request to produce relevant documents from an enforcer may result in the issue of a penalty charge notice.
In the case of a dwelling, the penalty is 200 pound and for non-dwellings it is 12.5 per cent of the net annual value, for each breach of failing to:
If you need an energy performance certificate for your home, you can visit the Energy Performance of Buildings Register. You can also search through the EPC certificate ratings of other properties in your area for free.
The energy assessment needed to produce an EPC is performed by a qualified and accredited energy assessor who visits the property, examines key items such as cavity wall, floor and loft insulation, domestic boiler, hot water tank, radiators, heating controls windows for double glazing, and so on. He or she then inputs the observations into a software program which performs the calculation of energy efficiency. The program gives a single number for the rating of energy efficiency, and a recommended value of the potential for improvement. There are similar figures for environmental impact. A table of estimated energy bills per annum and the potential for improvement is also presented, but without any reference to householder bills. The exercise is entirely non-invasive, so the software will make assumptions on the insulation properties of various elements of the property based on age and construction type. The assessor has the ability to over-ride these assumptions if visual or written evidence is provided to support the presence of insulation which may have been subsequently installed.
An assessment can take on average between 1- 2 hours depending on the size and other factors of the property.
If you are selling a property then there are no minimum requirements, you simply need to have a valid EPC in place.
A landlord must not grant a new tenancy including a renewal tenancy of a property after 1 April 2018 or continue to let any property after 1 April 2023 where the property has an EPC Rating of F or G. Subject to some prescribed exemptions Part 3 of the Principal 2015 Regulations states.
An Energy Performance Certificate helps you reduce your energy consumption and associated costs. This is achieved by following the recommendations and benchmarks for performance that are listed in the EPC.
Extra requirements were introduced whereby a section 21 notice two months no fault notice could not be served unless an Energy Performance Certificate EPC, gas safety check certificate and the government’s How to Rent Guide had been served on the tenant.
If the tenancy started after 1 October 2008 then an EPC would have been required but if the same tenant remains in situ then there is no requirement to get a new EPC when the original EPC has expires.
A. EICR stands for an Electrical Installation Conditioning Report.
A. An EICR or Electrical Installation Condition Report is an 8-page report issued following a full inspection and test of the electrical installations of your house or workplace premises.
As part of the periodic inspection process, qualified electricians will check your electrics are well-maintained and safe for continued use. Once the inspection has taken place and any defects rectified you will be issued with the SATISFACTORY report.
A. Electrical inspection and testing should only be carried out by electrically competent, qualified electricians.
A. Although an EICR is not legally required, you are required to make sure your electrical systems are safe as should there be an accident, you have to prove you did everything within your power to prevent it. Many property owners are bound by legal obligations to their staff, customers or tenants which can be met by an EICR inspection. Relevant legislation could include the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974, The Electricity at Work Regulations 1989 or The Landlords and Tenants Act 1985. You also may require this service if you wish to buy, sell or renovate a property.
A. EICR’s are for any buildings or premises which have electrical Installations. They are used by business owners, homeowners, landlords and authorities which manage a variety of public buildings, such as schools, churches and leisure centres etc. More often than not an EICR is requested as documented proof that the on-site electrics are safe.
A. For domestic premises, EICRs should be undertaken Every 10 Years for a privately owned property and every 5 years for a rented property.
A. Power isolation is to be expected on all of the power circuits when undertaking an EICR, The power isolation can be planned to a scheduled time for any circuits that need critical power.
A. As a landlord you have a duty of care to ensure the property meets the current regulations and is safe for continued use, if you are renting a property and you have concerns about the electrical installation you may organise an EICR to be undertaken but we will need written confirmation from the property owner before works can commence.
A. The report itself consists of an 8-page report that highlights any defects or deviations from the wiring regulations BS7671. The report comes with a defects list and each defect will have a fault code see fault codes below. Accompanied with the final report you will be issued with a written quotation to rectify any of the defects.
A. The list below describes the fault codes and highlights the extent of the danger.
A. A typical EICR would cost 180.00 pound; costs may vary if a property has more than 1 consumer unit or more than 12 Circuits.
A. You can book an EICR by calling 0333 577 5020 or 07368 534 666