ANC Sound Insulation Testing

The Association of Noise Consultants (ANC) puts the building industry in control with a trusted route to deliver compliance in this important area for the housebuilding sector.

ANC’s Approved Document E Registration Scheme was developed in 2003 to provide independent verification of pre-completion sound insulation testing.

Providing pre-completion sound insulation tests in accordance with Approved Document E ‘Resistance to the Passage of Sound’ of the Building Regulations and its equivalent in Scotland, the service meets these requirements to test new and converted dwellings for sound insulation.

ANC members are on track for a landmark figure, after successfully completing some 440,000 sound insulation tests.

Key to the success of the scheme is the design-build-test cycle, which provides a link in optimising the balance between compliance rates and construction cost. From approximately 30,000 tests carried out in 2018 through the scheme, the pass rate was an impressive 97.4 per cent.

ANC’s registration scheme enables the building industry to tap into the expertise of 300 registered testers, all qualified in acoustics, who are able to deliver the Approved Document E testing nationwide.

This means the testing service comes with the reassurance of consultancy advice from member firms, backed up by the know-how of some of the most highly qualified and experienced acoustic experts in the country.

Dan Saunders, Chair of the ANC, comments: “The Scheme was established to make the process as streamlined, cost-effective and straightforward as possible, while retaining the high-quality standards and expertise our members can bring to bear.

“Since then it has gone from strength-to-strength in the industry, reflected in the imminent approach of the half-million landmark figure.

“As well as being suitably qualified, members of the ANC Registration Scheme hold approved third-party accreditation in a form approved by DCLG (Department of Communities & Local Government). Independent third-party assessment of its procedures and operation is provided by BRE Global.”

The ANC’s sound insulation test comes with a range of added benefits which set it apart as the premier choice in the building industry. These benefits include access to expert advice and a useful reporting function through ADvANCE online.

Dan adds: “These tests come at the end of the construction phase; getting it wrong and addressing the issue then can be a very costly learning process – so it’s much better to learn from the experience gathered from all those other sites.

“For users, including clients and regulators, the mechanics of recording the test through the online ADvANCE system are also well-regarded. Clients are provided with a unique task number and password for every test undertaken using ADvANCE.

“This, with an ANC sound insulation test report, allows Building Control Officers to verify the test has been undertaken by a qualified tester and confirm the results. The information is then included in all ANC sound insulation test reports and access can be gained of all the results for a site.”

Click here to find out more about the ANC and search for members registered to carry out pre-completion testing.