1. Part L is the Part of the Building Regulations that covers the conservation of fuel and power in all structures, domestic and non-domestic.
2. The proposals are intended to be the next step towards all new buildings being zero carbon from 2016.
3. The government proposes the carbon emission standards for new homes be an average 8% tougher than the 2010 regulations – although detached homes, which are less efficient, will have to work harder, finding a 15% emissions saving.
4. The carbon emissions standards for new non-domestic buildings would be cranked up by 20% over the 2010 levels under the plans.
5. The commitments on both domestic and non-domestic buildings are less than the aggregate reduction in emissions of 25% which the labour government was committed to.
6. The government proposes that buildings will have to meet the ”fabric energy efficiency standard” developed by the Zero Carbon Hub.
7. Builders will be encouraged to become accredited under a new ”publically available specification” to demonstrate that their buildings perform as they are designed. If they choose not to be accredited they will need to deliver an extra 3% carbon emissions saving on their buildings.
8. Building owners will be required to upgrade the energy efficiency of their property when adding an extension under proposed ”consequential improvements.”
9. Under the section, owners will also have to make fabric improvements when replacing a boiler or upgrading windows, limited to installing loft insulation, cavity wall insulation, hot water cylinder insulation and draught proofing.
10. The government is considering abolishing or reducing the fuel factor, which is used to calculate emissions targets for homes where mains gas is not used or available. The fuel factor gives special dispensation for more carbon intensive forms of heat and power generation, and its abolition or reduction would mean oil, electric or solid fuel-heated buildings would need to be of an even higher fabric standard to meet the carbon emissions target.
11. The consultation on consequential improvements is open until 27 March; the other measures remain open for comment until 27 April.
12. New-Build standards will come into force in October 2013.
13. Regulations on consequential improvements would come into force in October 2012.
14. It is envisaged that the cost of consequential improvements would be met by the government’s Green Deal and would need to cost around 10% of the budget for the primary works to be meet the regulatory requirement. The government claims this will drive take-up of the Green Deal.
15. Consequential improvements required after replacing a boiler or more than half the windows in a property would not be introduced until April 2014.
16. The new standard will add £795 to the cost of building a new home on average, but would add £2,622 to the cost of a new detached house and £248 to a flat in a four-storey apartment block.
17. The consultation paper says a carbon reduction of 26% on 2010 levels as proposed by the previous government would have added £2,866 to the average cost of a new home, which equates to £4,910 on a detached house and £1,959 to a flat in a four storey apartment block.
18. An impact assessment published by the communities department in May last year calculated the refined definition of zero carbon would add between £3,000 and £8,000 to the cost of each new home when compared with homes complying with Part L 2010. The level of cost increase means each home could potentially rise by£7,205 in 2016 to meet zero carbon standard.
19. The changes to the regulations for new homes will cost the housebuilding industry £103m a year, according to the government’s impact assessment…
20. However changes to non-domestic building regulations are predicted to save businesses £101m.
21. This cost to housebuilders has angered smaller firms, which claim they will find it difficult to carry the burden despite the fact the rise is less than expected. Roger Humber, strategic policy advisor at the House Builders Association, says: ”Effectively housebuilders are having to pay social engineering on behalf of the government. At the end of the day, the government has decided to penalise the housebuilding industry disproportionately.”
22. However, the industry should not pass those costs on to other parts of the chain, according to Mark Clare, chief executive of Barratt Development. ”If you take the view that you can push those costs on to the land price or simply change customers more, it will simply mean less homes are built.”
23. Richard Partington, director of Richard Partington Architects, says the fabric energy efficiency standard would be relatively simple to meet from a technological standpoint, but adds: ”The issue is for the big housebuilders because they have a supply chain in place, which is difficult to turn around.”
24. Developments in the construction industry’s most active market, London, will already have to conform to 55% reduction on carbon emissions over 2006 standards from 2013 – which is a bigger drop than tho proposed changes.
25. The consultation document contains 35,819 words.
26. The word ”green” appears 73 times in the consultation document.
27. …but the word ”growth” only appears 3 times.
28. The Green Deal is expected to improve 360,000 homes annually. Only 200,000 extensions are completed each year, according to the government’s own impact assessment.
29. However, a further 1.4 million home owners replace their boiler every year, which would be a driver of Green Deal take-up for a more limited set of measures.
30. Figures from the communities department show that in 2010-2011 a total of 135,430 new homes were completed – the lowest number in 20 years.
