Part L Building Regulations Change
The energy efficiency requirements of the Building Regulations in England has been updated. Part L 2021 came into effect in June 2022 and will act as an ‘uplift’ to help the construction industry adapt to changing regulations and low carbon heating.
This change is part of the roadmap to the introduction of the Future Homes Standard, currently due to be implemented in 2025. That policy will require all new homes to be ‘zero carbon ready’, meaning they will be properly equipped for the decarbonisation of the energy grid.
One of the aims of Part L 2021 is to build the knowledge and expertise to deliver net zero carbon homes. To do that, the uplift will deliver a 31% reduction in carbon emissions without the need for additional carbon offsetting measures and include a number of metrics that will underpin building performance in the years and decades to come.
Building fabric standards are ambitious but, in terms of U-values, are not a significant leap compared to Part L 2013. The airtightness and ventilation of the notional dwelling are not as ambitious as the fabric performance. Ventilation continues to depend on unreliable and uncontrollable natural ventilation, which has disappointed some in the industry.
New homes will be assessed against the following four performance metrics.
With increasing amounts of renewable energy generation, fuel factors are no longer required to offset ‘dirty’ electricity generation. This will adversely impact any property using oil, LPG or solid mineral fuel, and therefore stands to make the most difference to homes that are off-grid.
Any projects with plans or notices that were submitted on or after 15th June 2022 need to adhere to the new regulations. They must adhere to the new interim Part L standards.
Plans submitted before 15th June 2022, and not abiding by the new regulations, need to start work before 15th June 2023. From that point on, older versions of Part L will no longer apply to any projects, regardless of when plans or notices were submitted.
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