The short answer: no
SBEM estimates a non-domestic building’s monthly energy use and carbon emissions under standardised operating conditions. Its main purposes are Building Regulations compliance and energy certification. The official UK NCM guidance states that SBEM should not be used for system sizing.
A compliant BRUKL result therefore does not prove that heating or cooling plant, emitters, ducts, pipework or ventilation equipment have been correctly sized for the building. Those are separate design questions.
What an SBEM assessment does provide
The model uses information about geometry, activities, fabric, glazing, lighting, HVAC systems and controls. For a new non-domestic building, approved software compares the actual building with the notional building and reports the regulatory energy and emissions results.
This makes SBEM useful for testing Part L compliance and understanding which regulated inputs influence the result. It does not replace project-specific heating and cooling load calculations or detailed mechanical design.
How to commission the right work
When requesting an SBEM or BRUKL assessment, provide coordinated drawings, room uses, fabric specifications, glazing, air-permeability assumptions, lighting and the proposed building-services information. Ask separately for any heating and cooling load calculations, plant selection, ventilation design or distribution-system sizing required by the project.
An approved dynamic simulation model can also be used as the regulatory NCM route where appropriate, but regulatory approval does not turn the compliance calculation into a substitute for the wider MEP design. Define both scopes clearly at the start.
Official sources
Published 24 March 2026 · Last updated 8 September 2026
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