On 15 June 2022, an important update was introduced to Building Regulations in England. This update is related to Part L, which covers the conservation of fuel and power and how energy efficient both new and existing homes should be. These changes specify that all new homes must produce 31% less carbon emissions than had been accepted before in the previous Part L regulations. This new update to regulations can affect anyone who is building a new home or renovating their current property. You should be aware of new heating regulations if you are looking to install or upgrade heating systems as part of your project.
What are the new Part L Building Regulations?
The new regulations affect new and existing homes in different ways. Find out how:
New homes
Each new home built is assessed by a Standard Assessment Procedure (SAP). Recently updated SAP10 guidelines have set greater insulation requirements and have introduced a new target primary energy rate. When building a new home, you will need to meet ‘notional’ dwelling targets for energy efficiency, which are measured in U-values. If you meet these targets for important elements such as doors, floors, and party-walls your home will pass this assessment with building control. You must also make sure any new hot water pipework is fully insulated on both primary and secondary circulation, as well as any other pipework connected to a hot water storage vessel. We recommend consulting one of our heating experts to ensure that you are compliant with these regulations.
Existing homes
Alterations to your current home such as windows, doors, or any other thermal elements, must meet new fabric efficiency standards. U-values have been adjusted so that homes become more thermally efficient and reduce carbon emissions. Minimum values for windows and roof windows have improved from 1.6 to 1.4, whilst the U-value for doors has changed from 1.8 to 1.4. The largest impacts that these new regulations will have are on low flow temperatures for heating systems. Maximum flow temperatures in heating systems which were formerly 75 degrees Celsius have now been adjusted to 55 degrees. This lower temperature will require radiators to have a 30% larger surface area, so you should consider the cost and space implications that this will have in your home. A benefit of this is that your home will be more suited to renewable systems in future, such as air and ground source heat pumps.
How significant are these new Building Regulations?
With these new rules requiring a 30% reduction in carbon compared to previous Part L standards, these changes are significant, however they are relatively small in comparison to the Future Homes Standard set to be introduced in 2025. This will require a 75-80% reduction in carbon. Improving the insulation of your home will ultimately benefit your energy efficiency, reducing your energy bills in the long term and allowing you to see the benefits of complying to these standards. Further details of these new regulations can be found on the gov.uk website.
When do these new Building Regulations come into effect?
These new regulations came into effect on 15 June 2022. However, if you had already applied for a building notice before this date your project will still fall under previous regulations, provided work begins before 15 June 2023.
If you are building a new home or renovating your current property, you will need to make sure that any adjustments comply with these new regulations in heating and hot water. Our expert heating engineers at Gas Tech Heating can help to ensure that you are fully compliant. If you require any assistance with heating installations or any other of our services, give us a call today on 01442 832202 or email info@gastechheatingltd.co.uk.
