Snapdragons Nursery, Bristol

Energy assessment services were carried out for the new-build childcare facility, Snapdragons Nursery. The EPC assessment covered all non-domestic areas, including activity rooms, quiet/sleep areas, staff offices, a full commercial kitchen, a children’s teaching kitchen, specialist quiet rooms and high-quality staff break-out facilities. All spaces were evaluated in line with current regulatory requirements for early years and childcare buildings. The analysis focused on regulated energy uses—heating, cooling, ventilation, lighting, and domestic hot water—assessing the building fabric and efficiency of fixed services to demonstrate compliance with Part L of the Building Regulations. To satisfy Part L, ‘Conservation of Fuel & Power’, the building achieved an air tightness of 2.53 m³/hour, exceeding best practice and well above the standard for school buildings. The building also benefitted from a photovoltaic array. Ventilation strategies, internal gains, and occupancy profiles were carefully considered, with zoning applied to reflect the different usage patterns across activity and support areas. The resulting EPC and compliance outputs confirm the development meets regulatory standards, providing a safe, comfortable, and energy-efficient environment for early years education.