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Ecology - SAP 85


Moonshine

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Speaking to Ecology to see if i can get a self build mortgage with them, they have indicated that i need to get a SAP assessment done before they even talk to me, and this has to be 85 or higher for either efficiency of environmental impact.

 

So my question is, where do i get a SAP assessment done, so i can start to talk to them, and what are the implications of design of a SAP 85 or higher for either efficiency of environmental impact?

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As a previous Ecology customer (rate them very highly BTW) I had to provide a SAP assessment of the predicted build  - obviously as it's not built yet.

 

I used @Jeremy Harris Stroma model and the free PC s/w to do this and it was accepted.

 

You can only really get an official SAP assessment once the house is built, although I suppose some assessors could do one from plans and proposed windows, heating system etc.

 

My completed build came in at 90% so just squeaked a SAP A rating, even though it would also have qualified as a passive standard house so some quirks in the SAP rating system.

 

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Any SAP assessor will surely be able to do a design SAP from Plans. Like @Bitpipe I needed one for ecology and did it myself but it would have been under £200 to get someone else to do it. When I got my mortgage Ecology wanted over 100, wich was perfectly manageable with a BMC build and 5.5kw solar pv.

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2 minutes ago, Moonshine said:

 

Cheers, i will take a look and at that software.

 

I did one, using simplifying assumptions such as the whole thing being one room per floor with just the outside walls, and it was within a point or two of the number at the end of the project.


F

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We used these they were quick and provided a thorough report for our predicted assessment. Cost £120.00 inc

 

JSP SUSTAINABILITY LIMITED
York Science Park
Innovation Centre, Innovation Way Heslington, York
North Yorkshire
YO10, 5DG
Tel : +44(0)1904 435 325
Email : info@jspsustainability.co.uk VAT Reg No: 141994591

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Advantage of a DIY approach is that you can play with variables and see how they impact the outcome, however you do need to put a bit of work in to get to that point.

 

If you're using a 3rd party, would be good to see how they could help you achieve the required score.

 

Ultimately, the Ecology requirement is based on trust - they can't make you build to any given spec or recall the funds etc. All they can do is withhold the post build discount for the remainder of the term (which will be based on your final 'as built' SAP score).

 

One tip on using Ecology, it's worth pulling down a nominal sum immediately to start the clock ticking on the 2 year minimum term. We made the mistake of burning through our saved cash first thinking we were being clever in not accruing interest on the drawn money but then had a few months extra on their higher rate before we could remortgage with a standard high st lender.

 

Obv. depends on your build schedule and whether you have fulfilled the criteria to move off a self build mortgage (usually a completion certificate or active warranty).

 

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9 minutes ago, Bitpipe said:

Advantage of a DIY approach is that you can play with variables and see how they impact the outcome, however you do need to put a bit of work in to get to that point.

 

One tip on using Ecology, it's worth pulling down a nominal sum immediately to start the clock ticking on the 2 year minimum term. We made the mistake of burning through our saved cash first thinking we were being clever in not accruing interest on the drawn money but then had a few months extra on their higher rate before we could remortgage with a standard high st lender.

 

i like to tinker to see where things stand at the moment so i have already started on a FSAP 2012 file, will be interesting to see how things work out.

 

Interested to see that there is a U-value calculator that i can put in the proposed constructions.

 

That is a very good shout on the 2 year minimum term, as i had not considered it.

 

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2 minutes ago, Moonshine said:

 

i like to tinker to see where things stand at the moment so i have already started on a FSAP 2012 file, will be interesting to see how things work out.

 

Interested to see that there is a U-value calculator that i can put in the proposed constructions.

 

That is a very good shout on the 2 year minimum term, as i had not considered it.

 

All credit to @jack who did the early draw down thing and alerted me to it after the fact :)

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Having looked at the ecology mortgage that we are currently in the process of completing. We will be drawing smallest amount initially which I think is 30k, so that we can start repaying ASAP however, I’ve looked at the charge for early repayment 2.7k, I’ve also looked at some lenders offering incentives I’m sure I came across 1 last week that offered 1k cash back, plan is to complete build (if they ever start) and within 1 year transfer morgage to normal lender and pay the 2.7k fee. If I can get around 1k cash back I think we could potentially save by paying a reduced amount for the following 12 months using a normal lender. Will look at the figures this weekend to see if current markets give 

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5 minutes ago, Bitpipe said:

All credit to @jack who did the early draw down thing and alerted me to it after the fact :)

 

Cheers @jack, also by the act of the mortgage already being borrowed against, does that mean that its 'enacted' and less likely that your mortgage offer may be withdrawn at a later date.

 

Worst case scenario would be to do half the build on your own funding, just to find that your mortgage offer was withdrawn to build the remaining half.

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2 minutes ago, Bitpipe said:

Once they commit to the offer everything is signed and the drawdown is available I don't think they can withdraw. 

 

o.k, that is interesting as in general resi mortgages i thought that a offer has a shelf life of up to 3 months.

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We got caught out by Santander reneging on the agreed mortgage we had with them.  We set everything up, signed all the paperwork, paid the fees etc, about 4 or 5 months before we needed the money.  We paid for the plot and ground works out of savings, planning to draw down from the mortgage as soon as we placed the contract for the foundations and frame.  When I went to drawn down the mortgage, Santander told me that they had changed their lending policy and that the funds were no longer available.  Apart from causing a bit of a panic to quickly arrange a new mortgage with another lender, Santander also refused to refund the fees.  Took a long battle to eventually get the money back.

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19 minutes ago, Jeremy Harris said:

We got caught out by Santander reneging on the agreed mortgage we had with them.  We set everything up, signed all the paperwork, paid the fees etc, about 4 or 5 months before we needed the money.  We paid for the plot and ground works out of savings, planning to draw down from the mortgage as soon as we placed the contract for the foundations and frame.  When I went to drawn down the mortgage, Santander told me that they had changed their lending policy and that the funds were no longer available.  Apart from causing a bit of a panic to quickly arrange a new mortgage with another lender, Santander also refused to refund the fees.  Took a long battle to eventually get the money back.

 

That's my nightmare scenario! ?

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10 hours ago, Moonshine said:

That is a very good shout on the 2 year minimum term, as i had not considered it.

 

My ecology mistake was to withdraw too much too early on. I was under the (incorrect) impression that I would be paying for a valuation before each draw down. Now that I have enquired about withdrawing some more I have been told that because of my LTV I can continue to withdraw without a valuation or even administration fee upto a surprising amount. 

The process is also very fast, so from applying for more funds to cash in account has been 48hrs.

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18 hours ago, jack said:

 

Not me guv! We didn't use a self-build mortgage.

I think it was me. I drew down 10k straight off then used my savings before drawing down more months later. saved over 6 months interest on the full amount at the end of the 2 year period.

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