Proposals for amending Part L and Part F of the Building Regulations – Consultation

236 Pages·2009·1.19 MB·English

Proposals for amending Part L and Part F of the
Building Regulations – Consultation
Volume 1
www.communities.gov.uk
community, opportunity, prosperity

Proposals for amending Part L and Part F of the
Building Regulations – Consultation
Volume 1
June 2009
Department for Communities and Local Government
Communities and Local Government
Eland House
Bressenden Place
London
SW1E 5DU
Telephone: [phone]
Website: www.communities.gov.uk
© Crown Copyright, 2009
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75%
June 2009
Reference number: 08BD 05287
ISBN: 978-1-4098-1532-7
Contents | 1
Contents
Volume 1: Proposals for amending Part L and Part F of the
Building Regulations Consultation
Summary of Consultation 2
Chapter 1: Introduction 5
Chapter 2: Proposals for improving compliance and building performance 19
Chapter 3: Proposals for Accredited Construction Details (ACD) 40
Chapter 4: Training and dissemination strategy 50
Chapter 5: Future Thinking Paper 65
Annex A: Consultation criteria 80
Annex B: Consultation stage Impact Assessment 82
Annex C: Response form 184
Volume 2: Proposed technical guidance for Part L
Chapter 1: Proposed new edition of Approved Document L1A 3
for construction of new dwellings
Chapter 2: Proposed new edition of Approved Document L1B 45
for work in existing dwellings
Chapter 3: Proposed new edition of Approved Document L2A 93
for construction of new buildings other than dwellings
Chapter 4: Proposed new edition of Approved Document L2B 145
for work in existing buildings other than dwellings
Chapter 5: Proposed changes to the National Calculation Methodology 199
Chapter 6: Proposed Domestic Building Services Compliance Guide 211
Chapter 7: Proposed Non-Domestic Building Services Compliance Guide 311
Volume 3: Proposed technical guidance for Part F
Chapter 1: P roposed new edition of Approved Document F – 3
Means of ventilation
Chapter 2: Proposed Domestic Ventilation Installation and Commissioning 99
Compliance Guide
2 | Proposals for amending Part L and Part F of the Building Regulations – Consultation: Volume 1
Summary of consultation
Scope of the consultation
Topic of this This consultation relates to proposed changes to Part L (Conservation
consultation: of Fuel and Power) and Part F (Means of Ventilation) of the Building
Regulations that are planned to come into force in 2010. Please see
Chapter 1 for an overview of the proposals.
Scope of this Government set out in its Building a Greener Future – Policy Statement
consultation: (July 2007) that new homes will be net zero carbon from 2016. As
steps to achieving this target, energy efficiency standards for new
homes are to be improved by 25% in 2010 and 44% in 2013 relative
to current 2006 standards.
The Government also wants to introduce improved energy efficiency
standards for new non-domestic buildings, and in its 2008 Budget
announced an ambition for all new non-domestic buildings to be net
zero carbon from 2019. We are therefore proposing a similar phased
improvement beginning with 25% in 2010 and plan to consult on the
further trajectory towards zero carbon new non-domestic buildings
later.
Government is also committed to addressing the energy efficiency of
existing buildings and the consultation proposes appropriate changes
to the requirements when people elect to carry out building work to
existing buildings.
When the proposed energy efficiency standards in Part L are
strengthened in 2010 there is likely to be a greater tendency to more
airtight buildings. It is therefore necessary to propose changes to Part
F of the Building Regulations at the same time to ensure adequate
means of ventilation is provided.
The consultation also proposes a range of measures, including a
strategy for training and dissemination, designed to further improve
the level of compliance and performance in buildings.
Geographical The proposals in this document would, if taken forward today, apply
scope: to England and Wales. However, the UK Government is currently
considering transferring responsibility for Building Regulations in
Wales to the Welsh Assembly, in which case the proposals will only
apply in England.
Impact A consultation stage Impact Assessment is being published alongside
Assessment: this consultation and can be found at Annex B.
Summary of consultation | 3
Basic Information
To: This consultation is aimed at:
• Property developers and builders
• Property owners and occupiers
• Construction industry professionals
• Manufacturers and suppliers of construction materials
• Building Control Bodies
• Environmental organisations.
Body/bodies Department for Communities and Local Government (Sustainable
responsible Buildings and Climate Change Directorate).
for the
consultation:
Duration: Consultation published 18 June 2009 and closes 17 September 2009.
Enquiries: If you have any questions about the content of the consultation
document please contact:
[email protected]
For queries and feedback about consultation software (SAP and
SBEM) please go to: www.2010ncm.bre.co.uk
How to Responses can be submitted by email (preferred) to:
respond:
[email protected]
Alternatively, hard copy responses should be sent to:
Gerald McInerney
Sustainable Buildings Division
Department for Communities and Local Government
Eland House
Bressenden Place
London SW1E 5DU
Additional The Department intends to organise consultation events during the
ways to consultation period. If you would like to be involved in such events,
become contact [email protected] for the Part F event and
involved: [email protected] for the Part L event
4 | Proposals for amending Part L and Part F of the Building Regulations – Consultation: Volume 1
After the We will aim to publish a summary of responses to the consultation on
consultation: the Department’s website within three months of the closing date for
consultation.
Information on the Department’s consultations is available from:
www.communities.gov.uk/corporate/publications/consultations/
Following its consideration of responses, the Department will amend
the necessary Statutory Instruments and publish revised technical
guidance in advance of the changes coming into force.
Background
Compliance This consultation complies with HM Government’s Code of Practice on
with the Code Consultation.
of Practice on
Consultation:
Previous To help inform this consultation exercise, industry stakeholders have
engagement: been engaged since early 2008 in discussion on how best to drive
forward improved standards.
For Part L two separate Industry Advisory Groups (IAGs) were
established for domestic and non-domestic buildings. Six smaller
working groups were formed to support development of the detailed
technical proposals looking at building fabric and building services,
energy calculation methodologies and compliance and feedback.
Similarly for Part F an Industry Stakeholder Group was formed to
support development of the consultation proposals. A further Part
F industry group also helped with development of the proposed
Domestic Ventilation Installation & Commissioning Compliance
Guide.
Two Working Parties of the Building Regulations Advisory Committee
(BRAC) have also helped support the development work, the first
attending to Part L and the other concerned with ensuring that
the performance standards in Part F are not undermined by the
prospective changes in the energy efficiency requirements.
Chapter 1 Introduction | 5
Chapter 1
Introduction
1.1 Climate change is potentially the greatest long-term environmental challenge facing
the world. Scientific evidence demonstrates the seriousness and urgency of this issue
and has moved the debate conclusively from whether or not it is happening to what
we need to do about it.
1.2 In the UK we are responding strongly. We have put in place legislation which will
require an 80% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions, relative to 1990 levels, by
2050, with legally binding five year carbon budgets governing the trajectory to our
2050 target. Reducing emissions to help combat climate change is one element of
energy policy, with security of supply and depletion of energy resources also of vital
importance.
1.3 Delivering reductions on this scale will require every part of the economy to play its
role. We will need to increase the efficiency with which energy is used by businesses,
the public sector and individual households.
1.4 Today almost half of the UK’s carbon emissions come from the use of buildings
(27% from homes and a further 17% from non-domestic buildings)1. Responsible
government means ensuring that, as we add to the overall stock of buildings e.g. to
meet the needs of our growing number of households, we do not add to the overall
scale of the climate change problem.
1.5 The Building Regulations, and Part L of Schedule 1 therein, set out minimum
requirements for energy efficiency for new buildings and for building work to
existing buildings including alterations and extensions and certain categories of
refurbishment or replacement work.
1.6 In 2007, the Government set out in its Building a Greener Future – Policy Statement2
its intention for new homes to be net zero carbon from 2016. As steps to achieving
this target, carbon emission standards for new homes are to be improved by 25% in
2010 and 44% in 2013 relative to current 2006 standards.
1.7 In December 2008, the Government consulted on the definition of zero carbon
homes that will apply from 2016. The consultation proposed an approach based
upon prioritising, in turn, high levels of energy efficiency, a minimum level of
1 Energy White Paper 2007.
2 www.communities.gov.uk/publications/planningandbuilding/building-a-greener
6 | Proposals for amending Part L and Part F of the Building Regulations – Consultation: Volume 1
reduction in carbon emissions (referred to as “carbon compliance”) taking into
account energy efficiency, on-site low and zero carbon technologies and direct
connections to heat networks, and a range of (predominantly offsite) “allowable
solutions” for dealing with the remainder of the emissions. The consultation sought
views on alternative levels of carbon compliance; however, the 25% and 44% levels
proposed for 2010 and 2013 for new homes remain unaffected by those proposals.
Cost not
exceeding
3
Allowable
£x per
solutions
tonne CO
2
Carbon compliance
2
(on-site + connected heat)
Energy Efficiency
1
1.8 The Code for Sustainable Homes will also need to change in 2010, so that the energy
efficiency requirements at lower levels of the Code do not fall below the minimum
standards proposed in Part L 2010. A separate consultation proposing changes to the
Code for Sustainable Homes is to be carried out later this year.
1.9 The Government also wishes to introduce improved energy efficiency standards for
new non-domestic buildings, and in its 2008 Budget announced an ambition for
all new non-domestic development to be net zero carbon by 20193. We consider
it is important to take early steps towards this to help stimulate the uptake and
development of energy efficient and low carbon technologies. We are therefore
proposing a phased improvement for new non-domestic buildings beginning with
25% in 2010. It is intended that the further trajectory towards zero carbon new non-
domestic buildings will be consulted upon later this year.
1.10 This consultation proposes amendments to Part L and Part F of the Building
Regulations that are planned to come into force in 2010. It proposes improved
standards of energy efficiency for the construction of new buildings and when
building work is carried out to existing buildings and changes to ensure adequate
3 www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/d/bud08_chapter6.pdf