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Reducing carbon emissions
In 2006 Part īLī of the Building Regulations was changed to bring the UK in line with the agreement we reached with our European partners following the Kyoto Summit on carbon emissions. The legislation, which was originally planned for 2007, was rushed forward by the Government and it was towards the beginning of 2007 before the industry began to feel the real implications of the changes. In fact it was well into 2007 before some Councils fully adopted the new regulations. Then in May 2008 the Code for Sustainable Homes was introduced and each new home now has to have an Energy Performance Certificate. Under the current rules the external walls, roofs, ground floors and glazing have to be highly thermally efficient, which has cost implications for the aspiring self-builder. Other factors that need to be taken into account are the orientation of the dwelling on the plot, the thermal mass, percentage of openings in the structure, the number of open fires, the heating system, efficiency of the boiler and the presence of any Eco features such as solar panels and ground sourced heating. The new regulations stipulate that an Energy Audit must be supplied to your local Council before building work can begin on site. This audit has to be carried out by a qualified and registered energy expert. An Air Permeability Test has also been introduced which is carried out on completion of the dwelling but before occupation can take place. In theory one-off houses can be made exempt but the reality is that the test will apply to all new homes. The difficulty for house designers and architects is that there are no set parameters within which the dwelling can safely be designed to meet the requirements of the Code. So there will be an element of trial and error. Design & Materials has however taken the best current advice available from a registered Energy Consultant and has applied this to our service. It is anticipated that in the near future a new home will need to achieve a minimum rating for sustainability of 3 stars. Our projects are currently achieving that figure, For more information see my article on the ECO Design page. Tom Somerville B. Arch (Hons) ARIAS |