Andrew Stunell, minister responsible for building regulations at the Department for Communities and Local Government (CLG) insists there will be no backing down on policy for home upgrades to include green measures.
The government is determined to deliver on its proposal to make homeowners upgrading their properties carry out energy efficiency improvements at the same time said Stunell.
Speaking at a conference at BRE in Watford, the minister acknowledged that the approach, called consequential improvements, has featured on UK government policy agendas for existing homes before without being brought forward. Stunell said: ‘It’s the grand old Duke of York of building regulations policy… but this time we’re going to do it.’
The consequential improvement approach is outlined in CLG’s consultation document on changes to Part L of the building regulations, and is considered to be integral to the green deal, as the new incentive will help fund the measures. Stunell explained: ‘There is a certain amount of consumer inertia to [improving energy efficiency] and that’s where consequential improvements provide an additional driver to success.’
Under the consultation, CLG proposes that homeowners undertaking major works such as extensions or increases in habitable space would have to perform energy efficiency measures to a value capped at 10 per cent of the principal works. Homeowners installing new boilers and windows could have to carry out one or some of the following: loft insulation, cavity wall insulation, hot water cylinder jacket and draught proofing.
Owners of non-domestic buildings below 1000m2 would also be required to make consequential improvements under the proposed changes. CLG accepts that the implementation of the policy poses some challenges for non-domestic buildings, and for homeowners carrying out boiler and window replacements. For that reason, it favours a phased implementation, with introduction in late 2012 alongside the green deal for homeowners building an extension, and in 2014 for both homeowners installing new windows/boilers and for non-domestic buildings of less than 1000m2. Consequential improvements already apply to non-domestic buildings of more than 1000m2.
The one-day conference at BRE outlined the proposed changes in the 2013 edition of Part L and included demonstrations of cSAP and cSBEM, the software tools from BRE to help designers with Part L compliance. Key parts of the conference will be released as a series of video webinars on the BRE website.
The consultation documents are available on the CLG website. The consultation on consequential improvements ends on 27 March 2012. Consultation on other proposals for changes to the building regulations ends on 27 April.
For the consultation see links from IHBC Consultations at: LINK
Building 4 Change: LINK
