Newly-released Building Regulations consultations propose changes to Part L (Conservation of Fuel and Power) and Part F (Means of Ventilation), scheduled to come into force in 2010.
The industry is being urged to give their views now before the the consultation deadline on September 17, 2009 following the launch of the consultation by planning and housing minister John Healey on June 18.

For the first time and as part of a new Domestic Building Services Compliance Guide introduced in Part L, a specific fan power requirement of less than 0.5 watt/sec is included for intermittent fans used in refurbishment and new build developments.

Also in Part L, new Target Emission Rates (TER's) are set to deliver a 25% saving over the previous regulations in line with achieving Code for Sustainable Homes Level 3.

Proposed changes to Part L include:

·The 25% improvement in energy efficiency for non-domestic buildings which will be an aggregate value for all new buildings

·Designers submitting a commissioning plan at the beginning of a project.

·The use of compliance software to list key features that enable a building to meet its energy performance target

·The adoption of Accredited Construction details to reduce heat losses caused by thermal bridging

Regulation changes that would have required existing homes to be made more energy efficient if a building is substantially altered through refurbishment, extension or a loft conversion ('consequential improvements') have been shelved. However, changes to the Energy Performance of Building's Directive (due to come into effect from 2011) will require the UK government to implement 'consequential improvements' a year after the proposed Part L amendments are scheduled to come into effect.

Under the changes to Part L, buildings will become more airtight so that government is also proposing changes to Part F of the Building Regulations to ensure homes are adequately ventilated.

New proposals for Part F involve the establishment of guidelines for airtight properties with infiltration rates tighter than 5m3h/m2 at 50pa.

Also in Part F, a new Domestic Ventilation Installation and Commissioning compliance guide has been proposed to ensure ventilation not only delivers the required airflow but does it efficiently and quietly.

To view the consultation document click on the link
PartLF2010consultation