In April 2006 Part ´L´ 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 the summer of 2006 before the industry began to feel the real implications of the changes. In fact at the time of writing (August 2006) some Councils´ have still not adopted the new regulations.

Under the new rules the external walls, roofs, ground floors and glazing have to be much more thermally efficient, which has cost implications for the aspiring self-builder. Other factors that need to be taken into account are the percentage of openings in the structure, the number of open fires, the heating system and efficiency of boilers.

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 done 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 pass the energy test. 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. See our Materials page for the new recommended specifications for walls, floors, roofs and glazing.

Tom Somerville B. Arch (Hons) ARIAS
Chartered Architect