An updated release of the Part L calculation software SBEM has today been made available for designers wishing to demonstrate compliance for buildings other than dwellings.

The development team at BRE has been responding to feedback from the market on the previous release in January and has incorporated a number of improvements to the calculation itself and to the way in which data is entered. The new software package, available for download from www.ncm.bre.co.uk,  comprises version v1.1.a of the calculation tool SBEM and of the interface iSBEM, together with an updated User Guide and supporting databases.

The improvements have been identified as a result of experience from those using the tool in practice on a wide range of building types, and from those attending training sessions. They include a new treatment of thermal bridges at construction junctions, simplified ways of entering data applicable to the whole building, a wider range of weather locations and modifications to some of the underlying databases.

The team is very grateful for the feedback from the industry and will continue to respond to comments and questions via the website