Structural Engineering
- Dead Load The permanent, static weight of a structure and all fixed components, including roofing ma...
- Deflection The displacement of a structural element under load from its original unloaded position, a...
- Eurocode Load Combination A defined expression from EN 1990 combining multiple design actions with partial safety fa...
- Imposed Load Variable loads applied to a structure by use and occupancy, including maintenance personne...
- Portal Frame A rigid structural frame comprising columns and rafters connected by moment-resisting join...
- Purlin A horizontal structural member running along the length of a roof parallel to the ridge, s...
- Rafter An inclined structural member forming part of the roof structure, running from the ridge t...
- Serviceability Limit State (SLS) A structural design condition corresponding to loss of function or user comfort under norm...
- Shear Force An internal force acting parallel to the cross-section of a structural member, arising fro...
- Snow Load The gravitational force imposed on a structure by accumulated snow, calculated from the si...
- Ultimate Limit State (ULS) A structural design condition associated with collapse or structural failure, requiring th...
- Wind Load Dynamic forces exerted by wind on a structure, including both positive pressure and negati...
Roof Types
- Ballasted Roof System A flat roofing system where insulation and waterproofing layers are held in place by concr...
- Built-Up Roof (BUR) A flat or low-slope commercial roofing system consisting of multiple layers of bitumen and...
- Corrugated Metal Roof A profiled steel or aluminium roof sheeting system with a sinusoidal or trapezoidal cross-...
- EPDM Roof A single-ply synthetic rubber roofing membrane (ethylene propylene diene monomer) used on ...
- Fibre Cement Roof A roof cladding material comprising cement reinforced with cellulose or synthetic fibres, ...
- Flat Roof A roof with a slope of less than approximately 10 degrees, requiring a continuous waterpro...
- Pitched Roof A roof with a slope exceeding approximately 10 degrees, shedding rain and snow by gravity ...
- Standing Seam Metal Roof A metal roof system characterised by vertical ribs (seams) running the full length of the ...
- TPO Membrane Roof A single-ply thermoplastic polyolefin roofing membrane used on flat and low-slope commerci...
Solar PV Structural
- Array Tilt Angle The angle between the plane of a solar PV panel and the horizontal, affecting energy yield...
- Ballasted Solar Mounting System A non-penetrating rooftop PV racking system that uses concrete ballast blocks to resist wi...
- Ground-Mount Solar PV A solar PV installation where panels are mounted on free-standing structures fixed to the ...
- PV Array Dead Load The permanent gravitational load imposed on a roof structure by the combined weight of sol...
- Penetrating Solar Mounting System A rooftop PV racking system that uses structural fixings passing through the roof cladding...
- Rail and Clamp System A modular solar PV mounting assembly comprising aluminium rails fixed to the roof structur...
- Structural Survey for Solar PV An engineer-attended on-site inspection of a roof structure to verify structural adequacy ...
- Wind Uplift The net upward force on a rooftop solar panel or mounting system caused by differential wi...
Compliance and Regulatory
- Building Regulations (Solar PV) Statutory requirements under the Building Regulations 2010 that apply to solar PV installa...
- EPC Rating Energy Performance Certificate rating assessing a building's energy efficiency on a scale ...
- Fire Safety Assessment (Solar PV) An assessment of fire risk introduced or modified by a rooftop solar PV installation, cove...
- G98 Notification The post-installation notification to the DNO under Engineering Recommendation G98 for mic...
- G99 DNO Application The application process under Engineering Recommendation G99 for connecting generation sys...
- Listed Building Consent Formal consent from the local planning authority required before making any material alter...
- MCS Certification Microgeneration Certification Scheme: a quality assurance framework for small-scale renewa...
- MIS 3002 The Microgeneration Installation Standard governing the design, installation, and commissi...
- Permitted Development (Solar PV) The right to install solar PV on certain buildings without a full planning application, su...
- Planning Permission for Solar PV Formal local authority consent required for solar PV installations that fall outside permi...
- Structural Sign-Off A signed statement from a qualified structural engineer confirming that a roof structure h...
Standards and Codes
- Eurocode The suite of European structural design standards (EN 1990 to EN 1999) adopted as British ...
- Eurocode 1 (EN 1991) The European standard for actions on structures, covering self-weight and imposed loads (P...
- Eurocode 3 (EN 1993) The European standard for the design of steel structures, including cross-section resistan...
- Snow Load Zone (UK) A geographic classification of UK snow load exposure based on the ground snow load map in ...
- UK National Annex Country-specific amendments and nationally determined parameters published by BSI that sup...
- Wind Zone (UK) A geographic classification of UK wind exposure based on the fundamental basic wind veloci...
Business and Commercial
- Asset Manager (Solar PV) A specialist manager responsible for the technical, commercial, and compliance oversight o...
- Desktop Structural Roof Loading Report A remote structural engineering assessment of a commercial roof's ability to carry a propo...
- Due Diligence (Solar PV) The pre-investment or pre-transaction technical, legal, and commercial investigation of a ...
- EPC Contractor Engineering, Procurement, and Construction contractor responsible for the full design, sup...
- Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) A contract under which a solar energy generator sells electricity to a buyer at a pre-agre...
- Professional Indemnity Insurance (PI) Insurance covering a professional practice against claims arising from errors, omissions, ...
- Structural PI Insurance Professional indemnity insurance specific to structural engineering services, covering cla...
Drone and Survey
- BDF Accreditation Recognition from the British Drone Flyers association confirming operator competence and c...
- BMFA Accreditation Recognition from the British Model Flying Association confirming compliance with its opera...
- CAA Operational Authorisation Approval from the UK Civil Aviation Authority required for certain drone operations outsid...
- Drone Roof Condition Assessment A systematic drone-based visual inspection of a commercial roof to document condition, ide...
- Drone Technical Survey A specialist drone survey combining high-resolution visual and thermal imaging to assess t...
- Photogrammetry The science of making measurements and 3D models from photographs, used in drone surveys t...
- Thermal Imaging (Solar PV) Infrared thermography of solar PV panels from a UAV platform to identify underperforming c...
- UAV Survey An aerial inspection or data collection exercise conducted using an Unmanned Aerial Vehicl...
Solar and Technical
- DC/AC Ratio The ratio of a solar PV array's DC peak power (kWp) to the inverter's AC rated output powe...
- Inverter An electrical device that converts the direct current (DC) output of solar PV panels to al...
- Irradiance The instantaneous power of solar radiation incident on a surface, expressed in watts per s...
- MCS Approved Product A solar PV panel, inverter, or mounting system that has been independently tested and cert...
- Microinverter A panel-level inverter attached to each individual solar PV module, converting DC to AC at...
- P50 / P90 Energy Yield Probabilistic energy yield estimates for a solar PV system: P50 is the median annual yield...
- Peak Power (kWp) The rated maximum DC power output of a solar PV panel or array under Standard Test Conditi...
- Performance Ratio (PR) A dimensionless measure of a solar PV system's efficiency, defined as the ratio of actual ...
- Solar Irradiation The cumulative solar energy received on a surface over a time period, expressed in kilowat...
- Specific Yield The annual energy output of a solar PV system expressed per unit of installed peak power (...
- String Inverter A centralised solar PV inverter that processes the DC output of a series string of panels,...