Part L and the cost of ignoring the changes

As I prepare for the annual family break, it struck me how close we are to the next major changes to the building regulations with regard to energy. The question I asked myself was "What our clients are likely to be doing or have they already planned ahead"

Typically our industry doesn't change direction until it's pushed, a bit like a stubborn elephant, that due to its size can dictate. However, those days have gone, especially with the recent global events and the onset of mass fuel poverty.

Most companies will be looking at the obvious such as "fabric first" or the choice of energy source, both very important, but what about the ground and the foundation that your buildings sit on?

Increased wall thickness will have a massive say in how we move forward and hopefully now after nearly thirty years of promoting off-site foundation solutions and superstructures, we are. Typically walls are likely to increase to between 350 > 400 mm to compensate for the heat loss and help reduce the cost of the energy source costs. Our Nexus beam system currently can accommodate this change without any need to increase its size and we have a larger beam for heavier and taller buildings going into production

Another obvious point to raise is how many people factored in the changes when they bought the land? This would be interesting to see and by not factoring the costs and the current inflation levels what does this mean to the buyer. More now than ever before the Housebuilding customer is probably more interested in the running costs of the house rather than a superb well-designed kitchen or bathroom. Typically it takes nearly 600 days from first contact with a land owner through to the scheme starting on site, which is food for thought

Below is an extract from an article outlining the changes that are due to happen after June 2023 and further changes that will happen after this date up to 2025. One of the key areas to consider is your foundations and the costs involved in the requirement of a "Fabric First approach", which will mean the widening of the external walls to reduce the amount of heat loss and therefore energy consumption.?

Fabric First?is not a new concept and we have all known that it is coming, however, most may have considered the energy impact and the fabric impact, but few will have considered the foundations.?

?Typically, we are already pouring large amounts of concrete into the ground to achieve suitable support for the superstructure, but now with the increased width, there will be other considerations such as the line load impact and the depth a traditional foundation will have to go, waste from the site, time and accuracy?

Here at Capitaline we already have the answer with our various beam systems ranging from 400mm>600mm and our piled rafts, which will accommodate most foundations up to five storeys.??

?So instead of waiting until July 1st, 2023, why not ask us to provide assistance in design, cost and programme. In the meantime, please read the paragraphs below and what the changes will be bringing?

?What the changes mean to you as our client?

?The forthcoming changes are part of the roadmap to the introduction of the Future Homes Standard, currently due to be implemented in 2025. That policy will require all new homes to be ‘zero carbon ready’, meaning they will be properly equipped for the decarbonisation of the energy grid.?

?The Future Homes Standard will demand homes produce at least 75% less carbon emissions than what’s currently allowed under the Building Regulations, which will mainly be achieved by moving the UK’s homes to very high-efficiency electrical heating instead of gas boilers.

?This is a huge ask of the industry, which faces not inconsiderable challenges in terms of skills, resources and supply chain capacity. To help ease the way to the Future Homes Standard, the government has said it will introduce a 2022 interim update to Part L, which will require at least a 31% reduction in emissions compared to current standards. Alongside this, Part F, which governs ventilation, will also be updated.?

?Emphasis will be on the adoption of a?fabric-first approach,?with higher minimum fabric standards for the envelope and improved airtightness, along with the use of low-carbon heating technologies. The maximum permitted U-values in the 2022 Part L will also be decreased slightly, ahead of more stringent decreases in 2025.?

?A new performance metric will also be ushered in with the new Part L. Primary energy will become the principal measure, which takes account of upstream energy production alongside the efficiency of a home’s heating system, while carbon dioxide emissions targets will be retained, along with the Fabric Energy Efficiency Standard (for now, as it’s expected this measure will become obsolete as the energy grid decarbonises).?

It’s hoped that by implementing this interim step in 2022, the industry will be able to build the needed skills and supply chain capacity to meet the increased demands of the Future Homes Standard from 2025.?

?What to do now?

You’ve got a year to prepare for the interim uplift – although the legislation is going to be introduced towards the end of this year, it won’t come into force until next June.?

It’s worth taking a look at your pipeline of new-build work now, to ensure you know which version of Part L will apply to which projects. For any projects with plans or notices submitted before next June, there’s a cut-off date of June 2023 for building to start for the current Part L (2013) to apply. From that point on, older versions of Part L will no longer apply to any projects, regardless of when plans or notices were submitted.?

Any plans or notices submitted after June next year must adhere to the new interim Part L standards.?

It is also worth bearing in mind that this is a very short interim period, with 2025 ushering in the next Part L update. Although the proposed technical specification for that will not likely be available until 2023, the Government has given an indication of the U-values it will expect.?