Building Regulations Part L 2013 - a missed opportunity?

Graham Wilson, Chair of the Chamber's Green Economy Group and member of the Property & Construction Committee

At the start of this year the Government released details of their 2013 amendments to the Building Regulations Approved Documents. Graham Wilson, Chair of the Chamber's Green Economy Group and member of the Property & Construction Committee, has been looking into this further.

When the Government released details of their 2013 amendments to the Building Regulations Approved Documents, many, like the Chamber’s Property & Construction Committee and The Green Economy Group, had been anticipating similar information to that seen for the 2010 update. This included details of revised fabric requirements, fixed services efficiencies and the all-important carbon targets. Whilst consultants and designers are trying to plan for and advise their clients about potential changes, many manufacturers, including Dow, Knauf, Honeywell, and Kingspan, have been vocal about their investment in product development to meet anticipated new requirements.

In early 2012 the industry was given access to 2013 consultation documents. At the time, we were told to expect the introduction of the Fabric Energy Efficiency Standard (FEES), domestic consequential improvements and a further 25% carbon reduction over the 2010 regulations. All of these are in line with a progression towards the respective 2016 and 2019 domestic and non-domestic zero carbon new build targets.

Unfortunately, the current information released by the DECC makes no reference to these key changes, leaving the industry wondering which, if any, of these might be introduced before the April cut-off date. Currently, the principal changes identified in Part L are:

• The requirement for documented consideration of high efficiency alternative energy systems for all new buildings (cogeneration, heat pumps, district systems etc.)

• Updated EPC and Recommendation Report requirements

With no mention of proposed carbon reduction targets or FEE, we really are in the dark over how we will be designing buildings 8 months from now. If changes are introduced in April, prior to the regulations going live in October, that gives the industry 6 months to prepare. The omission of the proposal for domestic consequential improvements is of real concern to the manufacturers mentioned previously. In a period of stagnation in the building sector, the potential for a requirement to undertake improvement works to extended dwellings could have been a real stimulus for the domestic market, whilst it waits for the Green Deal to slowly gather impetus.

The requirement to undertake an assessment of alternative low or zero carbon energy sources for new domestic and non-domestic buildings is widely accepted as a positive move. As a non-mandatory part of BREAAM, it is already part of many firm’s design process. Whilst this move is welcomed it appears that the regulations will only require that these are considered. Are those making decisions at your local planning and building control offices to be trained to interpret these considerations?

With ECO Funding, The Green Deal, FITs and the RHI, is the DECC losing focus on its regulatory tools? Once again, an industry undergoing the longest period of economic down-turn in living memory was expecting answers, and instead have been left with more questions.

Graham Wilson is Chair of Greater Manchester Chamber of Commerce's Green Economy Group and Property & Construction Committee member Graham.Wilson@parker-wilson.co.uk