National Calculation Methodology (NCM) - Scottish Government

1 Introduction.
1. This document gives guidance on the use of SBEM and other approved software
tools comprising the National Calculation Methodology (NCM) when:
a. Demonstrating compliance with the carbon emission requirements of Section 6
in respect of non domestic buildings.
b. Calculating asset ratings as part of preparing Energy Performance Certificates
(EPCs) for non domestic buildings, as required by the Energy Performance of
Buildings (Scotland) Regulations 2008.
2. With regards to paragraph 1.b above, it is expected that Approved Organisations 1
have produced separate guidance regarding the forward transmission of the
results of these calculations for the purposes of the formal issue of the EPC and
the Recommendation Report for the building to the building owners.
3. Separate guidance has been published for the application of the methodology
when using approved tools to demonstrate compliance with the applicable
regulations in England and Wales or Northern Ireland.
4. This document is subject to regular review and it will be updated as and when the
need for additional clarification is identified. This routine updating will help improve
the consistency of application of the various tools to the building regulations
compliance and energy certification processes. The latest version of the NCM
Modelling Guide for Scotland will be available on the website of the Scottish
Government Building Standards Division 2 (BSD) when published and each new
version supersedes the previous ones.
1
‘ Approved Organisations’ are referred to as ‘Protocol Organisations’ in iSBEM and the iSBEM User
Guide.
2
The Directorate for the Built Environment, Building Standards Division, www.scotland.gov.uk/bsd.