National Calculation Methodology (NCM) - Scottish Government

2 Approved Software Tools.
5. Non-domestic building energy calculation software packages for compliance and
certification of energy performance of buildings must be approved by the Scottish
Government Building Standards Division 3 (BSD) before they can be available for
commercial use in Scotland. Information on the validation procedure and the
approval scheme is available from the BSD.
6. The BSD website lists software approved for demonstrating compliance with
Section 6 and for calculating ratings as part of the production of an Energy
Performance Certificate (EPC) in Scotland. The website also provides a list of
Approved Organisations who can accredit persons wishing to engage in the
production of EPCs for existing non-domestic buildings in Scotland 4 and
information on the use of Approved Certifiers of Design for Section 6 (Energy) 5 in
support of a building warrant application.
7. To be approved, the software tool must satisfy the criteria as published 6 by the
BSD. These requirements are updated from time to time and cover a number of
generic issues. The software tool has to demonstrate that:
a. The calculations are technically robust and that they cover a necessary
minimum set of energy flows.
b. It follows the procedures for demonstrating compliance and issue of Energy
Performance Certificates as defined in this document, including the use of the
National Calculation Methodology (NCM) databases, the definition of notional
building, and other issues as defined from time to time.
c. It reports a minimum set of output parameters and that these parameters can
be passed appropriately to standard modules for:
i. Checking compliance with Section 6
ii. Producing an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC)
iii. Deriving a set of recommendations for energy efficiency improvements.
8. In addition to ensuring that the software tools are compatible in terms of technical
scope, the approval process also requires software providers to check that the
procedural guidance is being followed in terms of the calculation and reporting
processes.
3 The Directorate for the Built Environment, Building Standards Division, www.scotland.gov.uk/bsd.
4 http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Built-Environment/Building/Building-
standards/profinfo/epcintro/epcguidadvice.
5 http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Built-Environment/Building/Building-standards/profinfo/cert
6 http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Built-Environment/Building/Building-
standards/profinfo/techguide/proftechS6software.