At Building Regs 4 Plans, we’ve been preparing for the latest changes to the new Part L, set to apply from June (2022). The Government published the Future Buildings Standards consultation document in January 2021. Contained within this document were the interim Part L, Part F and Overheating Regulations for domestic and non-domestic buildings, and the first steps towards the aim to deliver Zero Carbon Ready homes by 2025.
From June 2022, all new homes will be expected to produce 31% less CO2 emissions than is acceptable in the current Part L.
The new proposals include such upgrades as:
- Waste water heating recovery to ALL showers
- Heating systems flow temperature to be NO more than 55° C
- Photovoltaics – proportional to the ground floor area (e.g. 50m² GFA will require 3kW peak solar panels equal to approx. 18m² [assumed to SE/SW orientation])
- Thermal elements U Values of:
- Walls 0.18
- Windows 1.2
- Floor 0.13
- Roof 0.11
The proposals will also encourage the installation of ground source heat pumps which will allow solar panels to be removed from the design and enable greater flexibility in the specified U-Values of the individual thermal elements.
The new Part L was published in December 2021 with an implementation date of June 2022. Developers must submit their Building Notices, Initial Notices or deposit their Full Plans application by June 2022 or comply with the new regulations set out in Approved Document L 2021.
Accessing Updated Specifications and Detail Drawings
Continuing to register with our site will mean you will always be up-to-date with latest the changes and can easily succeed in achieving building regulations approval. Our unique and easy to use system allows you to draft and submit compliant specifications (from our online library of specs) with the corresponding detail drawings, leading to a finished project in line with the latest Government legislation.
Transitional Arrangements: When to apply the changes
The Amendment Regulations and accompanying Approved Documents L: Volumes 1 and 2 come into force on 15 June 2022. However, the changes will not apply in relation to building work where a building notice or an initial notice has been given to, or full plans deposited with, a local authority before 15 June 2022 provided that the building work is started before 15 June 2023.
For more information, see:
Building Regulations Part L Updates June 2022 Transitional Arrangements
A sample of specifications and details drawings inline with the new Part L, are now available on BuildingRegs4Plans at House Extension Specifications and Detail Drawings: June 2022
Specifications and Details drawings for the June 2022 Part L updates are also available for Premium users for New Builds, Garage Conversions and Loft Conversions.
You can access our specifications by registration at Register for Access
Air holds a certain amount of moisture as invisible vapour. Condensation is caused when the moisture in the air comes into contact with a cold surface and condenses at the dew point (the temperature at which the air becomes saturated). The increasing levels of insulation, impermeable cladding materials and other new methods of construction has led the potential for condensation to rise.
There are two types of condensation: surface condensation and interstitial condensation.
Interstitial condensation is when the the dewpoint is within the structure. This will often be on the warm side of relatively vapour resistance layers.
Surface condensation is when the the dewpoint occurs on a surface and is often noticed when mould or moisture appears on the surface of a wall or window. In many cases, the problem can be solved by simply washing off the moisture or mould or providing adequate mechanical and/or natural ventilation. However, condensation can cause more serious problems, for example:
- the build up of mould spores may lead to significant health problems.
- condensation on a window pane may drip down and rot the frame.
- condensation collecting on roof rafters may lead to degradation of the timber structure.
Architects should consider this condensation risk at the design stage and minimise potential problems by specifying suitable ventilation as well as ensuring surface temperatures are kept high by providing adequate insulation and heating. The ideal ventilation system would extract internal moisture laden air from activities such as cooking, drying clothes and hot showers, to the outside, and replace it with external air.
This could also utilise a heat recovery system for optimum temperature control and energy saving. Approved Document F gives the minimum standards required for the background, purge and extract ventilation of buildings.
Interstitial condensation can be controlled by considering the vapour resistance of the materials used in construction, by ventilating air spaces in suspended floors, cold roofs and cladded timber-framed walls and by the use of vapour control layers.
Vapour control layers provide a physical barrier against moisture in the air reaching the internal structure. They can be in the form of a polythene membrane, foil backed plasterboard, taped insulation or a suitable coating applied to the internal surface of an element. Vapour control layers should be positioned on the warm side of the insulation. Any pipes, electrical fittings, etc. which pass through the vapour control layer should be kept to a minimum and taped and/or sealed.
Thermal bridging can cause condensation to collect on cold spots on areas such as wall-floor junctions, roof eaves and areas around window and door openings. With careful design of the insulation at these vulnerable points, condensation risk can be reduced.
As condensation can substantially reduce the thermal performance of insulation and a building’s structural integrity, a Condensation Risk Analysis can be undertaken at the design stage to assess the likelihood of condensation problems. Many of the insulation manufacturers offer this service.
A Condensation Risk Analysis can predict the risk of interstitial or surface condensation by analysing the components of the building’s elements, the order in which they assembled, the use of the building and its geographical location.
Architects often query the use of trickle vents conflicting with the air tightness required in new buildings. Professionals argue that by providing homes with such little air leakage the condensation problem is exasperated. Although trickle vents must be provided and must be controllable, to work affectively they may need to be open for the majority of the day, making a mockery of the need for an air tightness 10 m³/(h.m²) at 50 Pa required by the building regulations.
To encourage the conversion of heating systems to renewable heat technologies, the government launched the domestic Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI) in April 2014.
This is an incentive administered by the energy regulator Ofgem E-Serve which provides financial assistance, helping people to make their homes more energy efficient . The RHI goes some way towards reaching the government’s target of producing 12% of the UK’s heating from renewable sources by 2020.
Renewable heat sources use naturally replenished energy rather than fossil fuels to generate heat.
Renewable heat technologies applicable to the scheme are air source and ground source heat pumps, biomass boilers and solar thermal technologies. Properties reliant on the live gas grid are likely to save the most on fuel bills.
Renewable heating technologies are much more effective in well insulated buildings.
Therefore, to qualify for the incentive, the property must first have a Green Deal Assessment carried out and any insulation recommended by the assessor will need to be installed.
The scheme is mainly used for single homes and can be taken up by homeowners, social and private landlords but is not available to new build properties other than self-build projects.
Payments for the hot water and heat generated are index-linked for inflation and made to the applicant quarterly for seven years. The amount received depends on the type of system installed and the size of the property.
However it can be up to 8.5p/kWh. A payment calculator developed by the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC), the Scottish Government and the Energy Saving Trust can be used to work out how much is likely to be paid.
In the first seven weeks of the Domestic Renewable Heat Incentive opening, 1,000 installations were accredited onto the scheme. Although advertising to the general public appears to be lacking.
Most people in the best position to take up the incentive don’t seem to be aware of its existence. It is only when other work is already being carried out on a property that the architect may mention this scheme.
Is it a missed opportunity to really improve the energy efficiency of the existing housing stock?
Or could it be that limited funds mean that the government can only make a token effort?
