Overview of Parts L & F consultation results and impact assessment

Changes to Parts L & F of the Building Regulations were made in March this year, in response to a consultation which took place in 2009. So far, revised Approved Documents have not been published, although results of last year's consultation and an impact assessment were published on the day before Good Friday. This was in anticipation of the purdah, or block on major policy decisions, which would be in force from the date the election was announced. The election was announced on the day after Easter Monday, and the government now has until the May 6th election to get the Approved Documents published.

A flavour of the changes that we can expect to the Approved Document can be obtained by looking at last year's consultation documents. These can still be downloaded from the CLG website. Of course, there may be some surprises in the final versions of the Approved Documents.

However, there are a few certain things we know at this point. Starting with Part L (conservation of fuel and power):

Table 1: Changes to emissions factors

The Target CO₂ Emissions Rate (TER) for new buildings will fall by 25%. In the case of dwellings, the 2010 TER for any given building will be 25% below the 2006 TER for that building. In the case of non-dwellings, the 2010 TER will be the emissions from a newly-defined notional building. The specifications for the notional building will be set such that buildings on aggregate will achieve 25% lower emissions than under the 2006 Part L. This means that the 2010 TER for certain buildings may be more than 25% lower than the 2006 TER. For others it may be less. This approach reflects the fact that it is easier to reduce emissions from some buildings than from others.
CO₂ emissions calculations will have to be submitted at design stage in addition to the completion stage calculation that is currently required
Emissions factors will change, a few examples are given below (see Table 1)
Conservatories under 30m² are still exempt from Part L, providing any walls, doors and windows separating the conservatory from the existing building are either retained or replaced, and providing the existing building's heating system isn't extended into the conservatory.

And moving on to Part F (means of ventilation):

New mechanical ventilation systems will need to be properly commissioned
The building owner will need to be provided with operation and maintenance instructions for ventilation systems

BSRIA will keep you posted on latest developments on their 2010 Parts L & F via the E-News. Register for free if you do not receive the E-News directly from BSRIA already.

BSRIA runs a one-day training course explaining Part L and F of the Building Regulations including the new changes and also provides testing and consultancy for Part L compliance. For more information contact us:

T: 01344 465600
E: bsria@bsria.co.uk